Project H K
by PurpleCobra247
Summary: Five years after the events of Knack II, Doctor Vargas decides to finally hang up the towel and retire from his laboratory. He's already appointed Lucas and Knack as the new owners, but with Knack being made of relics, he was pretty fragile despite his power. Only one project can change that for the lab itself, but will it be a better change for Knack, Lucas, and all of Newhaven?
1. The Arduous Assessment

(Here it is. My first Knack fanfic since I've played and beaten both _Knack _and _Knack II _so many times that I've officially lost count. LOL Hope y'all enjoy!)

Project H.K.

By: PurpleCobra247

Rated M for adult language, violence, minor use of alcohol, and sexual content

Chapter 1: The Arduous Assessment

Vargas Log #21997

_Five years. Five_ peaceful_ years since the defeat of Xander, Gundahar, and Rothari as well as any perilous Ancient Weapons and life's never been better for us all. Since then, we've never received any more coercions to our world and it's all thanks to the hard work of Knack, Lucas, and Ava. _

_It's obvious as to what Knack's been up to, but as for Lucas and Ava, I was shocked to learn from Ryder that his one and only nephew is actually dating the newest leader of the Monks. Somebody had to take Xander's place and Ava was the only aspirant to fit the bill perfectly. So far, she's playing the role just fine. She was nervous about it at first, but she came through after her first year since Xander's death. Any brand new monks that were enrolled never even vacillated to ask how the former leader died. She explained it in full detail every time, just as she's always been. Lucas was always by her side the entire time and it just makes me feel all warm inside. Reminds me of my relationship with Charlotte back in the day. Loving, peaceful, ardent… "all the biggies" as Lucas calls it. Heh, heh. That's another thing about it. Regardless of him being a mature adult, his sense of humor has never lost its touch. I've already prayed for many more compassionate years between the young couple to be tranquil and so far, those prayers have been answered. _

_As for me, well… getting older for me means losing more and more of my energy that's kept this lab going all these years. Even after working extremely hard creating Knack for over 20 years, I still had that burst of energy. I'm literally five years away from turning 60 and my body's already got the sensation of having absolutely no stamina. Hell, I even find it harder to stand up from sitting for an unsurpassed amount of time. With that in mind, I'm… I'm making the most arduous assessment I've ever had to make within my entire career and I hate this 'R' word more than the rest of them that exists in the dictionary: Retirement. _

_God, I hate it, but it has to be done and there's only one way to do it…_

That's where Doctor Vargas had to stop writing for a moment to wipe away his tears of sorrow. He just couldn't believe that it was finally that moment in his life that he had to retire from his lab and everything with it, but that didn't include his work on Knack. As he just sat there looking at his unfinished journal log and then, a massive file that laid right next to it, many thoughts came through his head about how this mystery solution would turn out for everyone at Newhaven.

How will people react?

Will they like it?

Will Lucas accept it?

Will… _everyone _accept it?

That last thought made Vargas shiver just a little bit, but soon regained the confidence to see this project through no matter what the outcome. Of course, there was one minor flaw…

"I have to show Knack, but I don't know if he'll keep it a secret." With that in mind, he continued his log with the following:

…_I'll have to finally get this project up and running. I'll admit that, at first, I was going to use this when the goblin threat became relentless, but then, I was glad I didn't. Knack needed to have these powers to take on new elements like the clear crystal, wood, fire, metal, and ice. When the High Goblins and the Ancient Weapons were upon us two years later, again, I thought about it and then, reconsidered for the same reasons. Now, with no threats among us that would require him to absorb those elements, this is finally the perfect opportune time to use it. The only question is will Lucas accept this as well as the rest of Newhaven? They've grown to honor and respect Knack for years since his creation, even when he's over 30 feet tall. Even the councilwoman just gave full citizenship to him not too long ago. Since that's the case, I'll have to say that I'm not too nervous about… _retirement_… anymore. _

_Once I get this project off the ground, _superannuation _will be a breeze. Yep! I found a different word meaning 'you know what'. _

_Benson Vargas Out_

"(Sigh)…Got that off my chest easily." Doctor Vargas said to himself as he closed the notebook and focused on that massive file. "Now, here's hoping that this will go by without any problems. I'll have to fetch Knack first." After that last word, the doctor carefully got up from his chair and headed towards a pair of metal double doors, which opened automatically, and he smiled instantly when he saw Charlotte and little Knack alone in the living room. They were watching TV together. With that scene before him, he casually approached them both, immediately getting utmost attention from Charlotte first. "Hello, Charlotte-dear."

"Hi, Benson." His wife greeted with respect, which got Knack's attention by just having him watch with observation. "You've been in that lab since after breakfast this morning. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's just fine. I was just writing my first log entry since Knack's creation and I got a bit sidetracked for a moment. I had just come across a project that I never got around to, but now, I feel this is the perfect time to finally pull it off. As you already know, I'm retiring soon and I don't want this lab to go down with me. I wanna keep it running with _two _new owners once I've made it official."

"Two? You mean…?"

"That's right, Charlotte: Knack and Lucas." This made little Knack jump up with his arms in the air with glee. It's the best he could do since he can't talk in this small form. "Ah! You seem excited about it, Knack. Glad you feel that way." The relic creature held up a single finger, telling him to hold on while he gathers some relics, so he could speak his mind about it. While he was gone, Charlotte had to ask her husband:

"This project you speak of… it only effects Knack, doesn't it?"

"Right again, Charlotte. I'm hoping you will approve it once you see it and so will Knack." The doctor paused as he looked all over the room for Lucas, but to no avail. "Where's Lucas?"

"You don't want to know, but let's just say that Lucas was long overdue to 'show Ava how much he cares about her', if you catch my drift."

"What?"

"Lucas is having sex with Ava." Knack came in with his handsome deep voice as he stood at a height of 6 feet and 9 inches. Hearing this made Charlotte blush.

"Knack!" She spat out with embarrassment. Vargas went wide eyed with shock.

"It's the truth. He told me that it's something you humans do for overriding pleasure."

"Oh, my God…"

"Heh, heh, heh! That's Lucas for ya." Doctor Vargas said with humor. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"I'm a living creature made of relics. How can I be?"

"Well, you may be made of relics now, but…"

"Huh? What are you hinting at?"

"A project that would help with my retirement… and benefit you as an individual. Can you keep it a secret until we get to it?"

"From everybody or just Lucas?"

"Both." Charlotte admired this scene between creator and creation. She loved how peaceful it has always been since Knack's birth. "What do ya say? Wanna try it out?"

"I'd love to see it first before I make a decision."

"Of course. Charlotte, you'll keep it confidential as well, yes?"

"With all my heart." The genius wife replied with scrupulousness.

Several minutes later, back in the mansion's lab…

"Within this heavy file is the project I've been keeping quiet about for all these years." Vargas started as he held up the seemingly heavy file before Knack and Charlotte. "Before I reveal it to you both, I must confess: I've literally been back and forth on whether or not to use it against Gundahar the first time around and again when the High Goblins, the Ancient Weapons, and Xander became a threat later on."

"Obviously, you never came around to them both times." Charlotte pointed out with crossed arms of disappointment. Knack only frowned in the same manner. "That depends on the contents of this mystery project."

"Prepare to see why I held back both times." Doctor Vargas settled down the file before he opened it and an overwhelming amount of formulas and blueprints were carefully being scattered all over the table, shocking both Knack and Charlotte, but the relic creature dared to take a closer look by himself as his creator continued. "Behold: Project H. K."

"Project: H. K.? Does that stand for… _Human _Knack?"

"Yes, exactly. All these formulas and blueprints of it represent my hard work throughout many decades. After I solved the mystery of the relics and created you, Knack, I had to see what you were truly capable of from that presentation. You were amazing then and we needed you in this relic state in order to keep Newhaven and Monte Verde safe from danger. Now that those threats are no more, we can get to turning you into a true being among the rest of the citizens. Rest assured, though, that you'll still be yourself in terms of your formidable powers and personality."

"…" Knack was speechless. He didn't know what to think of this and continued to slowly scan through all 45 papers alone, having his creator and Charlotte watch with confidence and confusion respectively.

"No wonder you've been going back and forth about using this." She started with full observation written in her voice. "Knack wouldn't have been able to pull it all off if you had."

"Exactly." Vargas agreed.

"Has turning Knack into a human version of himself been a long-term goal for you or was it just going to be a test of trial and error?"

"Trial and error."

"Makes sense. No need to explain why."

"So, Knack…" The powerful relic being heard Vargas and stopped his frantic scanning by picking up the main blueprint to take a closer look while his creator approached him. Charlotte kept her distance as usual to admire the interaction between them with a smile. "…what do you think? Would you feel comfortable being human for the first time?"

"…" Knack just couldn't speak, despite the fact that he was tall enough to do so. He had to make absolutely sure he wasn't imagining things. Vargas sensed this factor and chuckled.

"Heh-heh, I know it's a lot to take in, but trust me. You'll still be you, no matter what. Like I just said to Charlotte: It's a trial and error test to see if it'll be a hit with everyone here at Newhaven. Having them see you as a human being for the first time would make them just as flummoxed as you are now, but I'm sure that, with time and patience, they as well as you will get used to it and discover that it's not so bad after all. And you just might have fun along the way. I've developed this because I want you and Lucas to run my laboratory when I officially announce my retirement within a month from today. You both will share full responsibility of it with Ava's assistance. What do ya say, Knack? Are you up for it?"

"…" He still didn't speak right away, but carefully placed down the blueprint and turned towards his creator with a regal glare of acceptance and a handsome smile to match. Vargas returned it with confidence before Knack finally spoke his mind after a full minute:

"Doctor, after everything that happened since my birth, it's actually no surprise that you would plan to turn me into a human at some point after everything blew over. To be honest, I've always wondered what it's like as a human. I mean, I feel entirely human already, but there are some things that you all can do or experience that I can't and I'd like nothing more than to finally gain that opportunity to do so. It wouldn't even matter if it was permanent or not. I'll still take a chance to be the impossible. I'm already your greatest creation. Time for you to make me your most _phenomenal _one." Hearing that entire speech from Knack made Charlotte quietly leak tears of absolute exultation with a compassionate hand to her chest while the doctor kept his eyes watery in the same manner before he embraced Knack with honor, which made the relic being return it without hesitation. It lasted for another quick minute before Benson Vargas gently laid a hand on a relic at the shoulder.

"Knack, after that statement, there's nothing more for me to say except that you've accepted this project with all the rectitude I expected from you. While Lucas is still busy with Ava and Ryder and Katrina away on business, let's go ahead and get this project underway. Charlotte, I'll need you to help us out."

"With pleasure, Benson-dear."

With all that set in stone by Knack himself, he was ready to become the very thing he'd always dreamed of.

No amount of risks could to take him away from it now.

To be continued…


	2. I Present to You

Chapter 2: I Present to You…

With Dr. Benson Vargas planning to retire within a month's time with his wife Charlotte, he wasted no time handing over his lab to Lucas and Knack. In order to make it work successfully, however, he'd have to turn his greatest creation of relics into a human form for the first time. Even though the humble doctor made his case perfectly clear, Knack made it even clearer. He proclaimed that he actually wanted to be human since after the defeat of Gundahar, Rothari, and Xander. So many things that humans experience on the daily have never been shared with the relic creature and he wants to know what it's like to be human now that everything's at peace within Newhaven.

It'll be an interesting experience for everyone, but Lucas will be the only one that Knack will focus on first for now. The two of them have literally been inseparable since the relic being was created and they're practically brothers. As he was going through the blueprints and formulas with Vargas, his thoughts went in that direction and closed his eyes with a bowed down head. Charlotte approached him with concern at the exact same time the doctor looked at him from his left in the same manner.

"Knack? Are you alright?" Charlotte asked sweetly as she gently laid a slender hand on a relic at the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Knack replied. "It's just that…" He paused as he looked at Vargas. "…I don't know how Lucas is gonna take this. He's practically known me as his best friend made of relics for a good number of years now. Seeing me as a human would be… _eccentric_ for him. And I know it also applies to the rest of Newhaven and Monte Verde, but still. I don't know if he'll accept me as a human."

"He will." Hearing this in a dulcet tone from Charlotte made him smile a little bit as he turned towards her.

"That's right, Knack." Benson came in, getting the attention back from his greatest creation. "The comfort of your own skin is what matters at this rate, but when it comes to Lucas, you have nothing to worry about. You two will be even more amalgamated than ever before once he sees you in your human form for the first time and beyond. I guarantee it."

"Just have faith, Knack… and everything'll pull through for you as well as us."

"Hmmm." Knack hummed with deep concentration. "You both sound very convincing. Okay. Let's do this! I'm ready!"

"That's the spirit." Vargas exclaimed. "Now, as you already saw in this blueprint, it'll take an entire day for the transformation to be complete. You won't be in pain, though. You'll be numbed and sedated throughout the entire procedure, but rest assured, when you wake up, you'll be a brand new human being. Are you truly ready?"

"Yeah. I'm really ready, but how will you explain my absence to Lucas for a whole day?"

"I've already got a plan for that, dear." Charlotte admitted with confidence as Vargas and Knack headed for the one massive transformation chamber in the very heart of the lab. "In fact, while you set up, I'll get to it right now and put his mind at ease early." At that last word, Mrs. Vargas headed for the exit to get right to the very task at hand. When she was gone, Knack was already in the chamber and stood there patiently as Benson headed for the controls to insert the main formula into the machine before typing a few keystrokes along the way. While he was doing so, Knack just had one more thing to say before the sedation mist snuffed him out:

"Doctor…" Vargas heard that call and looked up without saying a word. He just showed a regal smile of respect for his greatest creation. "…just wanted to let you know that no matter how I turn out after this, I'll still accept it."

"I believe you to the fullest, Knack." After that last word was spoken from the doctor, that's when the relic being finally fell into a deep, peaceful sleep as he slowly sat down and leaned up against the laminated glass. "I wish you all the best when it happens, my boy. Rest easy." He finally pressed the red start button on the machine's controls and the transformation was underway.

He couldn't leave just yet, however. He had to take one long last look at the relic hero he created…

…for he knew that once the transformation was complete, there was an incontrovertible possibility that it could be permanent. Of course, he had to keep that factor to himself until the perfect time.

* * *

As for Charlotte, she had just gotten upstairs before she saw Ava exit Lucas' bedroom first. She was dressed in a casual outfit of a t-shirt and jeans when she approached the doctor's wife with a peaceful smile.

"Ah, Ava! Good to finally see you." Charlotte started unconcernedly. "How was it?"

"Incredible!" Ava replied in a swooning tone of her mature expert tone. "Lucas really does love me for who I am, even though we were at each other's throats at one point. He's taking a while to re-calibrate himself in there, though. We… really did quite a steamy number."

"I understand. In the meantime, I should let you know that Knack won't be with us for the rest of the day as well as into the morning dawn tomorrow. He's… undergoing a dramatic transformation that will surely reshape all of Newhaven as we know it."

"Really?! Why?"

"Well, my dear Benson and I are retiring next month and we need someone to take over the laboratory and everything in it by then. We've already appointed Lucas and Knack as the new owners, but with Knack as a being made of relics, he would be extremely vulnerable to all of the equipment. By changing him into a human, he'll be 100 times more invincible."

"A _human _version of Knack?! Is it really possible to make _that_ tremendous of a change to him?!"

"According to the doctor, yes. He developed the seemingly endless file full of formulas and blueprints for the project, which is simply titled 'Project H. K.'. He's got all the confidence in the world that it'll be a success, but both Benson and Knack are ultimately concerned about how Lucas and the rest of Newhaven are going to take it. It's a trial and error test."

"I see. Well, I'll be sure to keep this confidential towards Lucas until the newly human Knack is revealed tomorrow afternoon. Whatever the reaction is when he does finally see him, I'll accept it with open arms, but I'll accept Knack himself regardless of it."

"God bless you, Ava." The two ladies embraced each other happily for the next minute before Dr. Benson Vargas just got to the top of the stairs to see this event without Lucas behind them, which made him pull off a small smile. As soon as the hug ended, the ladies gave him their undivided attention as he spoke:

"I see you already told Ava about it."

"And she accepted it without hesitation, dear." Charlotte replied with praise. "Haven't told Lucas yet, though."

"He's still getting himself together after our love making performance." Ava added with honesty. "I can understand why you'd wanna keep this human Knack project a secret from him until he's revealed tomorrow. Aren't you excited about it?"

"I was when I developed the project." Vargas admitted. "But, now, even Knack's concern is making me feel a little less excited. He doesn't want to disappoint his best friend, but I'm sure he'll convince him to accept him when the transformation is complete. I have total faith in it."

"Same here." Both ladies agreed simultaneously before Lucas finally stepped out, dressed in a blue t-shirt and baggy brown khakis. He noticed how socially gathered they all were and became curious instantly.

"Hey, everybody." Lucas greeted. "What's all the buzz about?"

"Something _huge_." Ava replied with hope written in her voice. "So huge that you're not gonna see Knack for a while. He's… _busy._"

"Really?"

"Yes." Vargas replied. "He'll be back tomorrow afternoon and when you do see him, take your time before you make your opinion."

"Huh? I don't understand. What's he busy with and why have my opinion on whatever this is?"

"Just trust us on this, Lucas." Charlotte reassured in the motherly tone she's so famous for. "It'll be worth the wait. Besides, Ryder and Katrina will be back by then as well and we can all witness this together. What do you say?"

"Uh… sure. Sounds good. I guess Ava and I can pretty much spend the rest of the day together in the meantime."

"Sounds like a plan." Ava agreed before the new couple headed downstairs for a delicious home-cooked lunch before heading out for the day. When the two were gone, Charlotte had this to whisper to her husband:

"Nothing but positivity here. I just have a feeling."

The Doctor's response: a single nod with a smile that was from ear-to-ear.

* * *

During the next 24 hours of waiting, all the anxiety from Dr. Vargas was thrown out the window after a peaceful stroll through a park three hours after that fateful conversation. He was alone and rested on a bench after the hour long walk and took time to hear himself think about this whole situation. It was like Charlotte said earlier: _Nothing but positivity. _And he had that thought alter his true feelings about a human Knack being accepted by everyone. With that in mind, he still held that ear-to-ear smile as he leaned back and was about to drift off to sleep for a soothing midday nap until he heard the motor of a small plane behind him. He turned around fast and stood up when he saw Ryder and Katrina in a brand new mustard yellow airplane that had just landed smoothly.

"Ryder! Katrina! Good to see you both!" He exclaimed to them happily as he approached the couple. "You're back early, though. What happened?"

"A breakthrough. That's what happened." Katrina replied. "Thanks to your extensive research along with everything we've been through, the government can finally admit that any supernatural occurrences that appear from here on out will _not _be classified as a threat to our citizens…"

"…and it's all thanks to Knack." Ryder concluded with pride as he wrapped his right arm around his new wife. "Along with his newfound citizenship, anything else he does all over the rest of Newhaven, Monte Verde, and many other cities will be perfectly legal."

"That's amazing!" Vargas exclaimed. "And you thought it wouldn't be done until tomorrow morning."

"Heh, heh… yeah…"

"So, how have things been while we were gone?" Katrina asked as the three of them were heading for the same bench the Doctor was sitting at before.

"Oh, fantastic!" Vargas started. "Ava and Lucas are closer than ever before. In fact, just this morning, they… uh… had a _steamy _session of passion, if you catch my drift."

"Ha! Already?! I knew it." Ryder replied with humor. "It's no wonder I couldn't call him earlier today. His phone must've been on silent."

"Most likely. Oh… and another thing and don't tell Lucas until tomorrow, but remember that 'top secret' project I've been working on long before Knack's creation?"

"Oh, do I ever? You kept pushing me away whenever you were at the blueprints or writing formulas at the kitchen table. I kept asking you why do that and you gave me the same exact response every single time: 'None of your damn business, Ryder! Leave me be!'."

"…wow. Word for word, too. Well, I'm finally getting to it after all these years and just by the name itself, it should give you a sense as to what it is: Project H. K."

"Wwwwhat? That 'H. K.' part doesn't mean what I think it means, does it?"

"What do _you_ think it means?"

"…I… I-don't-wanna-say-it."

"May I?" Katrina asked politely. Vargas nodded twice in response. "Human Knack."

"Damn it! I knew it! But, why? Are you retiring?"

"Yes, within a month from today. I'm handing over the lab to Knack and Lucas when the time comes, but I don't want Knack to suffer any potential damage from the equipment in his relic form. So, this will benefit pretty much all of us combined, but it's the rest of Newhaven and Monte Verde that we're concerned about the most. Knack alone is just worried about Lucas and how he'll take this newfound human form. It all depends on how he looks like when the transformation is complete by tomorrow afternoon… right before lunchtime to be exact."

"…whoa. That's a lot to take in."

"I know, but it's all the absolute truth."

"Does Lucas know about this, then?" Katrina asked.

"Charlotte, Ava, and I are keeping this a secret from him until the unveiling. You two should do the same when we get back to the mansion."

"Consider it done, Doc!" Ryder replied with a trusting salute. Katrina just nodded twice in agreement. "Our lips are sealed."

"Thank you so much. Here's hoping for a positive reaction. Charlotte's already got the confidence."

"So do we!" The couple said together simultaneously.

* * *

The next morning – 10:45 AM…

Dr. Vargas had just stepped foot into the lab as the lights came on automatically after the metal sliding doors closed behind him. He didn't waste a moment making his way to the chamber where Knack was undergoing his dramatic transformation. Of course, he saw that the sedation mist had temporarily fogged up the laminated glass surrounding his creation, so he couldn't see. He went over to the progress display at the controls and saw that it was 99.99 percent complete with thirty seconds left. The suspense of it all was making the doctor shiver just a little bit, but he still maintained his sanity on the inside as he left the controls and just stood before the fogged-up chamber for those next thirty seconds. Of course, prior to his arrival, he had told Charlotte to gather Lucas, Ava, Ryder, and Katrina to the presentation section of the lab where he first revealed Knack to the councilwoman and her staff. They were in for a treat, especially Lucas.

Thirty seconds later…

"Transformation complete." The female computer voice announced from the controls. "Permission to remove the mist…"

"Granted." Vargas announced without hesitation before the purple mist was immediately being sucked away through a ventilation shaft within the chamber.

Within Knack's point of view, he slowly opened his eyes and his vision was blurry for a moment as he sat up and reached up to massage his eyes, but froze when he saw a human hand that was massive with five fingers lacking fingernails and was in a Caucasian skin tone. He then turned his attention towards the doctor on the other side of the glass and stood up to meet him there as he spoke:

"Good to see you, Knack and I must admit, you look incredible as a human." Vargas commented. "I know you have no idea what you look like right now, but once you get dressed in a pair of brown jeans I've provided for your massive size, it'll all be revealed to Lucas and the others. Are you ready?"

"Born that way." Knack replied in his famous deep male voice that he hasn't lost from the transformation.

About two minutes later in the presentation room…

"Charlotte, Lucas, Ryder, Katrina, and Ava…" Benson Vargas started through the PA system on the other side of the said crowd. "…after over 25 years and a whole day of waiting, Project H. K. is finally a success. I've been literally drifting in and out of using the project against Gundahar and then Rothari, Xander, and the Ancient Weapons. But now that we don't have any threats of the like anymore, I could finally turn Knack into something he's actually been dreaming of since his creation. I will describe his appearance as he stands before you all. Are you ready?" The team of friends on the other side of him nodded once simultaneously, having Lucas give a thumbs-up. This made Vargas smile with confidence. "Okay, then. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… _Human _Knack!"

At those last two words, the newly human Knack slowly walked into the demonstration room with a smile on his face and seeing him stunned everyone who saw it, except the doctor, of course. Lucas was the most surprised as his mouth hung open with absolute disbelief with wide eyes. Vargas continued as he promised after a full minute of seeing Knack walk out, then just stand there before his friends.

"As you can see, my newly human Knack doesn't look any different from your typical human being, except that he's at an impossible height of ten feet and seven inches right now. He's got Caucasian skin, muscles at a capacity of only 0.1 percent body fat and a weight of approximately 470 pounds, and his hands and feet lack fingernails and toenails respectively." The doctor explained. "He does keep some physical features from his relic self. Take a look at his chest." He paused as they did so and grew even more stunned.

"He still holds that familiar chest orb, but it's been turned into an indestructible necklace that can never come off, no matter what he does. Even he were to be hanging upside down, it will not budge an inch. The blue diamond that was at his forehead has now turned into a single earring on his right ear that you see there. As for the rest of his body, his fiery red hair is styled in the way his red relics look. It has a rugged appearance all over the top of his spiky head, sideburns, beard, and a long mullet behind him…" Benson paused as Knack turned around to show that to his friends, who became more observant now. Lucas was still completely flabbergasted. "…which is all the way down to half of his thighs. It's a lot of hair for him to maintain, but it's no problem. His hair is designed to never get dirty because every night while he sleeps in this form, it cleans itself from within every individual strand. Same could be said for his matching red eyebrows. Now, Knack, move some of your mullet for a moment."

Knack did so without hesitation and made the ladies gasp while Ryder and Lucas just remained speechless with wide eyes. "We're getting to his massive array of tattoos that you clearly see, starting with the back. Those tattoos on his back resemble the same exact markings on his face in his relic form while all over the rest of him…" The doctor paused again as his human creation turned back around to show off the rest of his tattoos. "…on his arms, they resemble the same markings on the aforementioned red relics while on his chest and abs, they are the golden swivels from his golden nose in his relic state. On his belt are the same triangular relics that act as such in his relic form as well. Lastly, take a good look at his face." Everyone did so and they were in awe. "Yes, he has the adorable, handsome face of a typical young man in his low to mid-20s, but has black eye coloring that takes over the pupil and iris. The scleroses remain white and unharmed, but regardless of all this, his vision is completely 20/20. Overall, Human Knack is unlike the Knack we all grown to know throughout the years. He still holds a good majority of his original powers, but he's also gained some new ones that I'll explain tomorrow. So, friends…" Vargas paused once more as he turned off the PA system and made his way into the same presentation room and stood next to the massive human Knack on his left, facing his crew. "…what do you think?"

It was silent for another five minutes before Lucas alone slowly made his way inside the same room and walked up to the extraordinarily tall human version of his best friend and just stood before him with a gleam in his brown eyes that was brightened by the lights as he looked up at Knack. Vargas and the others watched with high anticipation, having Ava and Charlotte clasp their hands together in prayer. The two friends never said a word to each other for another five minutes as Lucas inspected him even further. Two minutes of that went by before Lucas was back in front of Knack, who held quite the handsome smile that would've sent Katrina, Ava, and Charlotte swooning, but they never did. They were too worried about Lucas' reaction.

Finally, after one more minute, Knack decided to try something he's already known how to do: the start of a man hug. He had his right hand opened at the ready for it and Lucas stared at it for another fifteen seconds before he widened his grin to ear-to-ear and returned it by clasping hands together with the human creation and they performed the most professional and heartwarming man hug ever seen by anyone, even at a significant height difference between them: Knack at 10 feet, 7 inches while Lucas stood at an average height of 5 feet, 7 inches. They were at a perfect five feet apart from each other, but that never hindered their everlasting friendship.

Seeing this bond between them finally made all three ladies of the group cry silent tears of joy while Ryder and Dr. Vargas just watched with glossy eyes without their own tears escaping, even while the remaining four friends finally made their way into the same room, having Charlotte embrace her husband lovingly along the way.

"Looks like your project is _truly _a success, Doctor." She finally spoke since the presentation started.

"It certainly is." Vargas agreed. "Now, we test the public."

To be continued…


	3. H K vs Newhaven

Chapter 3: H. K. versus Newhaven

The rest of the day at the mansion couldn't get any better for Lucas and the others. After meeting the newly humanized Knack for the first time, they all couldn't be away from him for too long, especially since he had to test his original powers to see if he still had it. So far, he had the usual short list that didn't require relics:

The superhuman strength  
The ability to block by using his newfound telekinesis  
Climbing walls without claws for the first time  
Invincibility from fire/extreme heat and extreme cold  
Superhuman intelligence (can think faster and is smarter than a supercomputer)

But since Knack was now human, he could perform some brand new tests of even more of his unbelievable powers. With that in mind, everybody went to a brand new testing facility specially made for the human Knack. Doctor Vargas didn't waste a moment leading his revamped creation to an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The others behind them were already anticipating the best.

"Now, Knack, if I remember correctly, you've seen water, but due to the extremely high density of the relics, you were never really able to step foot nor swim in it." Benson Vargas started as he look up at his human creation. "Humans are highly capable of swimming, regardless of weight and you shouldn't be left out of that theory. We're gonna test and see how well you perform underwater for the first time. Are you nervous?"

"Not in the slightest, Doctor." Knack replied with confidence, having that famous voice with his new handsome and badass human form match perfectly. This made Lucas break a sweat just trying to keep his composure.

"Hooooly shit, Knack." Lucas muttered with excitement. "You're just awesome in this new human body you've got, buddy. I can't wait to venture out into town with ya."

"Patience, Lucas." Vargas warned calmly, making his assistant settle down instantly after that call of his name. "Alright, Knack. This swimming pool is yours to test yourself out in. The rest of us will be watching from here. Take your time, okay?"

"Will do." Knack replied before he slipped out of his baggy brown khakis, revealing his blue swimming trunks. The others were able to see his strong, thick hairless legs for the first time and they appeared to be as they looked in his giant relic state as expected before he took a professional dive into the 20 foot deep end of the pool and started swimming like he's done so before. What they didn't hear beforehand, however…

"Knack didn't take a deep breath to hold in before the dive." Ava pointed out, seeing how deep underwater Knack was with the others, having Vargas write down this observation and then some as she continued. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yep!" Benson replied as he never looked up from his notepad. "Knack can not only swim underwater with professional ease, but he can also breathe underwater as well. He's an amphibious human!"

"Remarkable! And they said that it couldn't be done!"

"Sweet!" Lucas cheered before Knack resurfaced without any sign of fatigue nor an inhale to regain breath. He was indeed breathing underwater. "Knack! You can breathe underwater! Isn't that great?!"

"No wonder I felt free under there." Knack pointed out with a charming smile. "Doctor, what's the temperature of this water?"

"Ironically, it's at a comfortable 67 degrees." Vargas replied. "You don't feel the chills on your face right now?"

"I feel the moisture, but not the chill from the breeze."

"And your hair never bared the weight of the water. Wow…" The humble doctor continued to write all of this down. "I guess when water rescues are a must at some point, you'll be the hero every single time. I can feel it."

"I'm looking forward to it, Doc. What's next to test?"

"Well, we can see that you can breathe underwater, but how about against any toxic fumes? You already can survive those in your relic state."

"Hmmm… I probably could already, but let's check it out anyway. And then, I should test out my invulnerability, something I wish I had in my relic self."

"Oh, yeah… you weren't really invincible. You felt pain left and right every time you were hurt."

"At least, you won't have to worry about any poisoned relics now." Katrina humbly announced with an apologetic tone, which made Ryder look at her with a stunned look in his eyes.

"True." Knack admitted as he carefully climbed out of the pool and just stood there for fifteen seconds, showing his friends that he can dry himself without the use of a towel. Vargas didn't waste a moment writing that down. "Ah, that's better. Let's get to the toxic fume test, Doctor."

"Of course! Follow us, everyone."

Three minutes of a walk through the lab later…

"Okay, Knack." Benson Vargas started through the toxic chamber glass that his humanized creation was standing in. "In a few seconds, I'm gonna release the most highly poisonous fumes known to man all at once and, if you feel overwhelmed by it within seconds after your first breath, wave at us and I'll get rid of them. Understand?"

"Got it." Knack replied as he stood perfectly still with crossed arms of confidence. Seconds later, the doctor did as he promised from a control room that was safely away from the toxins with the others and it's been past five seconds and no wave. He just gave a thumbs-up, telling them that he was holding his breath for a moment.

"Oh, now he wants to hold his breath!" Ryder exclaimed with humor. "He's teasing us now."

"Heh, heh… that's Knack for ya." Lucas agreed with humor. "But, look at how he looks from a distance. Totally cool! Did you come up with that design for him, Doctor?"

"Yes. I wanted him to look as vaguely close to his relic form as possible, so people would recognize him almost instantly." Vargas replied. "I must say that I've really outdone myself here. He'll be the man that everyone in Newhaven and beyond will look forward to seeing every day."

"And I'm so proud of you for that, dear." Charlotte commented. A second after that last word, Knack finally took in a breath from his nose and just continued breathing normally within the chamber when the fumes were all filled to capacity. Everyone at the controls were absolutely stunned. "Is he breathing now?!"

"Looks like it." Ava replied. "And he's not flinching nor signaling us with a wave, like you asked him to. He appears to be fine."

"Whhhhooooaahh…" Lucas muttered with astonishment. Ryder was speechless.

"Looks like you've made him even more indestructible in this form than in his relic form." Katrina pointed out. Vargas was just stunned as he wrote this newest development down.

"Why was I going back and forth about doing this project before?" He rhetorically asked himself. "Wow… I'm just beside myself. Knack, are you alright in there?" His humanized creation nodded twice with a handsome smile. "You're not feeling anything at all?" A shaken head from the heavily tattooed man. "Huh! Katrina, you could be right. So far, so unfazed. Of course, his venture out into Newhaven will really test everything else that I can't test here."

"I'll treat him to the best social spots, too! You can count on it, Doctor." Lucas promised with pride.

"And I believe you to the fullest, Lucas. I'm sure you two will have a good time for the rest of the day, but please do be back by 10 tonight. That's when Knack turns back into his relic self."

"No problem and it makes perfect sense. His first time in this form for 12 hours… perfect! What if he's… a chick magnet out there?" Hearing that question made Ava and Charlotte chuckle at the humorous tone of it. Benson shook his head in the same manner as he started the vacuuming process of the fumes within the chamber, allowing Knack to come out shortly afterwards and walk right up to them as they all exited the control station.

"I'll let you be the judge of that, but I wouldn't mind it one bit. How about you, Knack? This human body you've got sure would attract a lot of young women. Think you handle the attention when it happens out there?"

"I think I can manage, Doc." Knack admitted with no regrets. "Besides, I've got to experience everything there is to know about human life and how social interaction works, especially with women. I'll be alright."

"Oh, I'm sure you will. And keep your eyes and ears peeled for any signs of danger while you're out there. Keep being the familiar hero everyone looks up to."

"Got it. C'mon, Lucas. Let's get social." After that was said, the two best friends left for the customized plane of theirs, leaving everyone watching them in awe, especially after Charlotte had this to say to her husband:

"You may have struggled to decide on whether to use this project or not, but you never lost the faith in it because you knew it would be a success."

"Thanks, Charlotte." Vargas replied with a tender kiss on her cheek. "That made me feel a whole lot better. Those two boys will be a-okay."

Minutes later, at 11:30 AM in the plane above downtown Newhaven…

The ride was going smoothly and peacefully with the silence until the sound of a hungry, growling stomach was heard and Knack held on to his abdomen as a response, making Lucas chuckle, even though his eyes were fully focused on the skies.

"Feelin' hungry, Knack?" He asked with his usual humor. Knack nodded twice as he continued to feel the emptiness rumble inside him. "Welcome to being human."

"I always wondered what signals you have to tell you to eat." Knack pointed out. "I guess that since I was made of relics, I never had to eat. I hope human food is as good as you say it is."

"Trust me on this. You won't be disappointed. Since this'll be your first meal ever, what do ya wanna try first? I'm letting you choose."

"Hmmm…" Knack looked out towards the city below the two boys as he thought hard about what his very first meal should be. He then eyed a restaurant that sold chicken wings and smiled instantly. "…how about chicken wings? I've heard that you all are just nuts over those."

"…whoa! Excellent choice, Knack! I kinda had the craving for some, too. Let's see if people will know it's you along the way."

Fifteen minutes later, at the restaurant…

Lucas and Knack had just walked inside together and so far, nobody responded to their arrival. They just like regular customers for now. Knack didn't take no offense to that and continued to follow his best friend towards the front counter. One of the three Caucasian cashiers approached his register casually, still not noticing the newly human Knack standing at Lucas' left side.

"Hey, Lucas! Long time no see, friend." The cashier started happily. "How have things been since Knack saved us from those damn Ancient Weapons?"

"Things have been great… fantastic, actually." Lucas replied as he mentally waited for him to see that the very hero they were speaking of was right next to him. "Thanks for my uncle Ryder and his girlfriend, Katrina, we finally legalized everything that Knack does from here on out. And the doctor is planning to retire within a month from now."

"From everything he's done?"

"Yep, but he's already passed the ownership of his mansion and laboratory to me and Knack. We've got a huge responsibility ahead of us."

"Whoa… I wouldn't have said it better myself. Who is this badass lookin' guy next to ya, though? He looks vaguely familiar." Lucas grinned from ear-to-ear and decided to keep him guessing without Knack saying a word.

"Let us order our wings first, then I'll tell ya. You can take several good looks at him while you do so. I'll get 20 teriyaki wings for my friend and I to share. No fries, please."

"O…kay." The cashier remained flummoxed as he took that order with his professional precision. "That'll… uh… be 15.50." Lucas chuckled as he gave him a 20 while the man on the other side was still scanning Knack up and down from his current position. "Dude, I'm sorry, but I've just gotta ask this straight out and out loud for the whole place to hear before I give you your change: Is that Knack?!"

Absolute silence came just a millisecond after that last word and everyone within the restaurant took a glimpse at the two boys, preferably Knack himself. This stunned silence didn't startle the former relic hero at all as he took a few steps forward towards the onlookers and just took it all in for the next five minutes. Even some more employees that were the kitchen had just started baking their wings before they stepped out to see him as well. After those five epic minutes were up, Knack finally spoke with a hearty:

"Yeah, it's me. Truly in the flesh for the first time, thanks to the Doc."

The reaction from the bystanders:

A sudden uproar of cheers and crazed yelling from some younger people.

Lucas crossed his arms and kept his smile with complete confidence as he watched everyone greet him with even more kindness and warmth than when he was first hailed as a hero of Newhaven in his relic form. Even with all that excitement, the cooks had to get back to work as well as the other cashiers and servers, including the one cashier that finally gave Lucas his change and two empty 16 ounce cups before he went to fill them with soda as if there wasn't a frenzy at all.

20 minutes later…

"…heh, heh… everybody's just watching us now, Knack." Lucas chuckled as he was enjoying his plate full of 10 wings while his best friend ate his as if he's had them before. "How does it feel?"

Knack had to look around to take it all in once more and he couldn't stop smiling at the many impressed glares he was receiving from everyone, young or old or in-between. Lucas grinned at the praised silence he received from him as he continued.

"Feels good, doesn't it? Just wait until we step out of here and walk around town for a while. This attention will probably follow us and then some."

"It took them a while to notice me, too." Knack agreed before he took a moment to savor the flavor of his wings. "Mmm! These are delicious, Lucas. No wonder you all are practically obsessed with them every day."

"Told ya. Just wait until dinner, then. I've got a special treat lined up for ya, but in the meantime…" The two boys paused to look around themselves again and noticed how all of the young women were staring at Knack specifically. This made the human relic hero pull off an even more handsome smile and that made them all sigh simultaneously. "…whoa. These ladies are already eye humping you, buddy."

"I figured." Knack then turned back to his smaller friend for a moment. "Since that's the case, there's something I've always been curious about."

"Shoot."

"Back when I was made of relics, I've always admired how close you and Ava have gotten over the many years after we defeated Xander. How will that work for me in the future with… any one of these ladies?"

"Huh! I don't know, but I can tell ya this: If you're gonna start looking for a potential mate, you've gotta keep in mind one important key factor about her: the personality. The looks come second."

"That makes sense to me. So, by the looks of how these women in particular are staring at me, I'm guessing that they're _not_ the ones for me." Knack said that last part in his lowest tone, so the aforementioned women surrounding the boys wouldn't hear. Lucas nodded once slowly. "Gotcha."

"Don't get too bummed out, though. Sooner or later, you'll find the one for ya, bud. That's the only other reason why we're gonna be out here on the town until about 9:30 tonight. I wanna make sure you're back with plenty of time before you turn back to your original relic self."

"Hmm, sounds good. I'm actually excited about the rest of the day for now, though."

"Same here, Knack. And I know exactly where we should hang out first…"

15 minutes of a flight later…

"Ever thought of going to a mall without having to save people for once?" Lucas asked with humor as he and Knack just exited their plane that was parked in the rear of the massive building. Knack just shook his head as he was speechless with high certitude. "Yeah, me neither, but hey! This is where everything starts for ya, buddy. We're not only here to let more people see you as a human for the first time. We've gotta get new threads for ya, too. Having custom made clothes is what's best for ya."

"…I figured." Knack calmly replied as he and Lucas casually walked inside and the usual hustle and bustle didn't cease just yet. This sight still made the human relic hero keep his handsome smile of pure confidence as he looked all around while still walking next to his longtime friend. "It's good to finally see people just living the good life now without any danger."

"Yeah! I say it's about time! Let's see if we can attract some people while we head on over to the custom clothing shop over there."

After several minutes spent just walking to the said store, only a handful of people dared to follow the two men just to stare at Knack's new human self. They never said a word, but they were so stunned to see him like this for the first time. Even the three sharply dressed middle-aged and identical men that worked inside the custom clothes shop were absolutely shocked to see heavily tattooed hero.

"Oh, my God…" The blue eyed man semi-whispered with astonishment as Lucas and Knack approached the front counter. "…this must be Knack… as a _human_! How is this possible?!"

"When it comes to the work of Doctor Vargas, anything's possible." Knack declared with pride, making his shorter friend smile in agreement. "I'd like a few customized clothes, please. I'm sure I won't be fitting in to society in just a pair of brown khakis every day."

"Of course, Knack! Anything for our local hero. In fact, we'll make all of your clothes by request and you won't pay a single cent for every piece. It's the least we can do as payback for your outstanding services towards the community." Hearing this made Lucas nearly jump for joy like a kid at Christmas.

"Thank you all so much for that, despite how massive I look."

"No man is too small and no man is to big for us…" The brown eyed man started before all three of them finished off with: "…The Quartzzo Triplets!"

"I should've known you guys were triplets." Lucas pointed out as the three men came out from around the counter to begin their measurements on Knack, having the shorter friend kindly step aside in the process. "You all look alike in the grey hair and the faces, but your eyes are different."

"Indeed." The green eyed triplet started as he measured Knack's chest and abdomen. "My name's Valor."

"I'm Carter." The blue eyed brother added as he measured the hero's massive arms.

"And I'm Peter." The brown eyed brother concluded as he focused on Knack's legs. "Pleasure to meet the hero and the man who's always by his side. You two must be very close."

"Since day 1, yeah." Lucas admitted. "We became friends pretty fast, too."

"I see." Valor commented as he wrote down the measurements alongside his brothers. "So, Knack, I must ask you: Are you still as powerful as you are in your relic form?"

"All the same." Knack replied. "I'm currently in the middle of testing out a few more things. So far, I'm pretty indestructible. I can breathe underwater and take on toxic fumes. Of course, I wasn't invincible in my relic state. I'm hoping I can test that part out someday, too."

"Oh, I'm sure something will come up for you eventually." Carter reassured. "In the meantime, let's make your personalized wardrobe. Any kind of clothes in particular you prefer?"

"Five suits, twenty pairs of jeans, twenty tank tops, and twenty shirts would suffice for now."

"Excellent! We'll get right to it!"

Meanwhile, back at the Doctor's Mansion…

"You got the Quartzzo triplets to make customized clothes for Knack?!" Vargas asked as just received this news from Lucas as he and Knack were currently in-flight towards their next destination. He was currently sitting outside in his botanical garden with Charlotte right next to him on a bench. "What? They immediately recognized him on sight?"

"Pretty much." Lucas replied from the Doctor's wrist communicator. "They agreed to not charge him a single dime for his clothes because of his heroic actions throughout the years."

"Wow… that's amazing! Where are you two headed for now, then?"

"Well, Knack's been all curious about how Ava and I maintains our relationship as well as you two and my Uncle Ryder and Katrina. So, we're heading for the Disco Park to see if something will turn up for him before we have to head back at 9:30 tonight. He's already got the suit to fit in with."

"Disco Park? Isn't that the place where it doubles as a kid-friendly park on one half and an outdoor adult club on the other?" Charlotte asked in wonder.

"Yeah. It's gonna be allllll Knack tonight. I'm gonna be there for support. He's got this. He's… heh, heh… he's already swooned several women at a chicken wing restaurant prior to meeting the Quartzzo Triplets. Knack already knew that those particular women aren't the ones for him."

"Huh… he is smarter than a supercomputer after all."

"You're right-you're right." Benson agreed. "But, isn't he worried?"

"About what, Doc?" Knack asked from the back seat of the plane.

"About your substantial height and muscle mass. Won't you _intimidate _them?"

"I don't think so… at least, in my opinion. Trust me on this: When the right one comes along, I'll know, even if I turn back into relics before we get back."

"Full of that everlasting confidence. I love it! Well, good luck to you, Knack. I know you'll do just fine. And of course, you know what to do when trouble does happen to rear its ugly head."

"I already got it all planned out."

"Good. Well, you two have fun and be careful out there."

Back at Lucas and Knack just making a landing in the very back of the park…

"Will do. See ya later." Lucas concluded before he turned off the plane. "Well, Knack, are you ready to make a statement?"

"Born that way." Knack replied as he made a professional leap out of the aircraft, showing that he was already dressed in one of his customized suits. It lacked a dress shirt, but the light brown casual suit was a perfect fit with the jacket top partly opened at his chest. Even his matching high-top sneakers were perfect as well. "This suit makes me feel important, too."

"It ought to. Anyway, let's do this. Remember: Just be yourself. That's all you need to do."

"Simple enough to me." At that last word, the two gentlemen walked into the club's limits and Knack was already feeling optimistic in himself about how well this night would turn out. As he was walking through the crowds, his smile never ceased as he approached a bar with Lucas and sat down at one of the stools. This was Knack's chance to just absorb the nightlife atmosphere when he turned around just seconds after taking that seat. Lucas saw this from the corner of his eye, but didn't say a word to him as he spotted the male bartender.

"Hey, Lucas!" He started with all the happiness in the world. "It's been a while since you been here. How have things been with ya these days?"

"Just fine, thanks." Lucas replied. "Ava and I have never been closer since Knack saved Newhaven twice. Now the doctor's planning on retiring a month from now and he's leaving Knack and I in charge of the lab and everything with it when it happens. Personally, I can't wait."

"Well, congrats to ya. By the way, how is the relic hero doing?"

"Heh, heh… you don't notice him?"

"What?"

"He's right in front of ya." At that last word, Knack turned towards him with a handsome smile.

"Hey." He greeted casually.

"…whhhhhat the…?" The bartender muttered with astonishment as Knack turned his focus back towards the club scene of various people eating, dancing, and just having a good time. "Th-th-th-that's Knack?! As a _human_?! That's impossible!"

"Not for the doctor." Lucas replied. "He developed this project, which is appropriately named 'H.K.' that he's been drifting in and out of doing since Knack's creation. Now that the threats from the goblins, high goblins, and ancient weapons are over, he finally got around to it and… well… the results speak for themselves. What do ya think of him?"

"Huh! He actually looks pretty cool. Does he still have all of his powers?"

"Yep! All that plus the ability to swim like an amphibian."

"…whoa. Impressive."

"Why, thank you." Knack replied in his usual best without eye contact this time as his black eyes were affixed on a woman at last and Lucas noticed as he turned around.

"Knack, you alright, buddy?" He asked with humor. Knack never replied to him for the next three minutes before he stood up and approached a table with the lone woman. She was an Asian American that looked to be in her low 20s with long pitch black hair that was in a topknot ponytail that stopped just inches above the grass. She wore a yellow tank top that showed a small amount of midriff with blue boot-cut jeans and pure white sneakers. She was on her cell phone, not paying any mind to anyone else around her. Not even Knack as he took a seat on her right.

"Why sit here by yourself?" He asked politely in his deep handsome voice. The young woman looked over at him with an adorable glow in her light brown eyes and nearly jumped out of her seat when she saw how massive of a man he was, even with the suit. "You don't have any friends, huh?"

"Uh… yeah, I actually do, but I'm not much of a social woman when it comes to interacting with people in a club like this." She replied with honesty in her cute, but mature voice. "I was forced here by my three friends because they feel I should 'get out more'. Ugh! Some friends!"

"I don't really find that to be too much of a problem. They do this because they really care about you and want you to experience things that are outside of your comfort zone. Believe me. Being transformed into this human body is kinda like what you're going through except I actually like it."

"Huh?" The woman paused to take in that last statement as she scanned him up and down, then gasped as she jumped out of her seat without dropping her phone miraculously, revealing that she was at a height of 6 feet and 9 inches. "Knack?! Is that really you?"

"Heh-heh, you sounded just like the clerk at the chicken wing restaurant, except your voice is really cute. It really is me as a human. Doctor Vargas developed something called 'Project H. K.'. For now, this transformation is temporary. I turn back to my normal relic self in about two hours. I've gotta make it back home in one."

"Wow… you look incredible."

"Thank you so much. You seem like a very nice girl. I'd love to get to know you more while I can. What's your name?"

"Forgive me, Knack. Where are my manners?" She sat back down in her seat and placed her phone away in her front jeans pocket as she continued. "The name's Eclaire Xiaochan, but you can just call me Eclaire." The two shook hands with friendly smiles on their faces. "I must say that it's truly an honor to meet Newhaven's strongest hero… and in a new human form no less! How do you feel in that body?"

"I feel fantastic. It's a newfound feeling that I never thought I could experience. The truth about this form is that the Doc is planning to retire soon and he's appointed my best friend, Lucas, and I as new owners of his mansion and lab. For now, this is just a test drive and so far, I'm liking this human self."

"Same here. You look cool as relics, but you look even better as a human. That necklace you got on isn't just a fashion statement."

"Heh, heh… no. This is my life force. It stays on me no matter what. I can't even take it off myself. I tried on the way here."

"I see. Well, from my perspective, you actually look very handsome." Eclaire paused as she gave gentle strokes upon Knack's rugged beard, making him pull off a charming smile that made her mentally swoon. "You're the first attractive man I've seen since three years ago when I was a sophomore in college."

"I am?" She nods twice in response. "How come?"

"My last boyfriend as deadbeat jerk. Didn't give a damn about me or my dog, Timber. All he cared about was himself and his 'career' as a viral stuntman. God, I hated him so much!"

"Some men just don't know how to behave these days. I can be the exact opposite towards you, if you give me a chance. You seem very nice and you have a pet. I love a person that loves animals."

"So glad you feel that way. Of course, I'll give you a chance, Knack. You really are quite the gentleman, no matter what form you're in. I'll tell ya all there is to know about me if you do the same."

"Consider it done." The two bonded immediately and Lucas noticed from the bar as he took a sip of his water.

"Damn, he works fast." He muttered with envy. "Took me a while to get Ava. What does Knack have that I don't?"

"A way with words?" The same bartender guessed with sarcasm, which made Lucas turn towards him with an ice cold stare of disappointment. "What? Just sayin'…"

"…shut up."

Within the next 55 minutes before the boys had to return to the Doctor's mansion, Knack and Eclaire didn't do anything more than chat about each other's interests and lives, even after they received the finest cuisine Newhaven has to offer for an outdoor nightclub. Lucas stayed out the way at the bar and just admired the scene with a pleasant smile, despite his internal jealousy. Later, at about 9:25, he decides to call the Doc to tell him about this while the human relic hero and his possibly new mate were still sharing everything they needed to know about each other.

"What?!" Vargas asked with absolute disbelief after his assistant explained everything. "Knack's already gotten himself acquainted with a young woman?!"

"The fact that he's smarter than a supercomputer _and _can think faster than one aren't understatements, Doc."

"…huh. Took the wind out of my sails there, Lucas. Those facts are true, but I never thought he would be capable of finding a potential mate so soon after he had just turned human for the first time. What does she look like?"

"Asian American, at a height of about 6 feet and 9 inches when she jumped out of her seat for a second, long black hair, golden brown eyes, has the fashion sense of a tomboy, and the perfect size bust and butt."

"Lucas!"

"What? I had to mention that last bit, Doctor. And by perfect size, I mean 34C for the breasts and not too much junk in the trunk."

"…ugh. I can see why Knack succeeded in finding a mate faster than you. You think too concretely when it comes to women, despite the fact that you've got Ava… but I guess with that piece of information, it's safe to say that she does seem like the perfect woman for Knack. Did you get her name as well?"

"Eclaire Xiaochan."

"Ooh, she's very pretty."

"Yep! All that and a dog on the side named Timber. Don't know his breed yet, though."

"Well, this is quite a fast development." Benson then looked at the time on his clock in his bedroom. "Uh, oh… it's 9:30, Lucas. You better get back here now."

"On it. We'll discuss more of this when we get back."

"Roger that."

As for Knack and Eclaire…

"…well, it's about time I headed back to the mansion." Knack concluded when he realized what time it was. "But, I'm sure we'll meet again tomorrow."

"We sure will." Eclaire agreed. "This time, I just wanna walk around the city with you without my so-called 'friends'. I already feel much safer with you, Knack."

"Glad to be of service." Knack's polite nature kicked in as he gave her a tender kiss of respect on her right hand, which made her blush the deepest shade of pink on her cheeks as she saw this. "Maybe I'll show you the many places I've made quite the heroic impact."

"I'd love that!" The two stood up and Eclaire didn't waste a second giving the newly human hero a loving embrace, even with her head up against his chest and next to his life orb. "Thank you, Knack. I'll see you then and there. Here's my number." She pulled out an index card with her personal phone number on it and Knack carefully took it before placing it in his suit jacket pocket. "You can call me anytime tomorrow or, if you don't have a cell phone, I'm sure Doctor Vargas as a holobot you can use to just send me a message. Whatever you choose, I'll be waiting for your call."

"Will do." The two shared one more embrace. "I'll see you tomorrow, Eclaire. Bye." After that last word, Lucas had just led the way out towards their plane by the time Knack was just two feet away from him and Eclaire watched the two boys with admiration. During that time, her three equally Asian American girlfriends just approached her from behind and saw who she was watching.

"Whoa…" One of the girls muttered with astonishment. "…was that… Knack?"

"Yeah." Eclaire replied. "Thanks to Doctor Vargas, he was finally able to turn him into a human for the first time. I must say, he's so handsome and polite a human, even though his relic form is pretty cool."

"No kidding." Another girl agreed.

"And I'm gonna see him again tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" The three ladies exclaimed, which made Eclaire turn towards them with authority.

"Yeah. We've talked a lot about each other and he's the perfect man for me already. You know I left Daniel while I was in college. You three shouldn't be surprised."

"And I thought you two had something going, too." The third woman added.

"I know, Valerie, but still…" Eclaire paused as she turned back towards Knack and Lucas just getting in the plane before they flew off back to the Doctor's Mansion. "…Knack has everything Daniel doesn't and I'm gonna keep seeing him again. It's not just because he's our hero, though. He… understands me." Hearing that last statement made her three friends appear flabbergasted for pretty much the rest of the night, even as the four ladies were just leaving themselves.

Thirty minutes of a flight later…

Lucas and Knack had just gotten through the entrance and Vargas wasn't surprised to see that Knack was back to his old relic form while he still remained at his height of 10 feet, 7 inches.

"So, how was it, Knack?" The humble doctor asked. Knack nodded twice with a smile.

"It was incredible, Doc." The relic hero replied. "I'm sure Lucas already told you, but I met a beautiful young woman along the way. I think she really likes me."

"Yep, I've already heard. Her name is Eclaire Xiaochan, am I correct?"

"Yeah. I really do like her in return and I promised her I'd meet her again sometime tomorrow, if that's okay."

"Well! This is incredible! Is it a date?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, then, I'm looking forward to meeting her afterwards… if that's okay."

"Heh, heh… sure. I'll make sure of that. She is quite a sight, Doctor. You'll love her."

"We'll see. In the meantime, you two better get some sleep, since that's the case." At that last word, Lucas and Knack made their way upstairs, having the relic hero shrink down to his small Knack form along the way. During that time, Charlotte approached her husband from behind and just planted a slender hand on his left shoulder. "Knack sure didn't waste any time finding a mate. Although we haven't met her yet, I can already sense that this Eclaire woman has potential."

"Same here." Charlotte agreed. "Let's just only hope that she understands his formidable powers."

"Took those words right outta my mouth there, honey."

To be continued…


	4. A Day with a Sweet Eclaire

Chapter 4: A Day with a Sweet Eclaire

Day one of the newly human Knack came and went with outstanding results for Dr. Benson Vargas and that factor alone made him wake up with his biggest smile ever pulled throughout his lifetime. It was even bigger than when he first met and fell in love with Charlotte. Everyone within Newhaven recognized Knack as a human almost instantly throughout the first day and he even got to get very well acquainted with a young woman named Eclaire Xiaochan. The two were due to spend another beautifully sunny day together and, this time, he's sure that this next meeting will be much more serious, even though they just met.

With that in mind, at 9AM sharp, he finally got out of bed and headed for the kitchen for his usual breakfast, but stopped just before the entrance to already see Lucas and the shirtless human Knack standing at the stove, having Lucas doing the cooking while Knack was using a holobot he had just received from his shorter friend. Vargas decided to wait it out and watch in silence with his proud smile still intact, even as Charlotte and Ava had just approached him from behind and watched with him.

"Go ahead, Knack." Lucas encouraged as Knack held on to the small robotic messenger within one massive hand. "Don't be shy. You did tell me that she's eagerly waiting for your message last night."

"Yeah, but still…" Knack admitted nervously. "…I'm still a little uneasy about it. I'm already attracted to her, but I also sensed specifically why she left Daniel Deakon, her ex."

"Whoa! You got his first _AND _last name already?! And you haven't even met him yet?! What other abilities did you gain in your new human form, Knack?!"

"I have no idea yet, but I'm using it as if I've had this ability before."

"Well, bring that up in your message, then! I'm sure this date will be worth it in the end."

"Okay. Here goes nothing." Knack paused as he cleared his throat, held up the holobot right before his eyes, and continued: "Eclaire, I'd love to see you again at 12 noon sharp for lunch and much more today. I want to confess that I've sensed a whole lot more about you than what you've explained to me last night and I'm hoping that I could share it all with you during our date. The main subject of what I sensed: Your ex-boyfriend, Daniel Deakon. Something within me is telling me that there's more to the break-up than just the fact that he was deadbeat and was the laziest man you knew. I'm hoping we can talk about it peacefully. Think about it. I care about you this much to bring this up." After that last word, Knack gently tossed the holobot into the air and it automatically flew out an open window within the kitchen. When it was gone, Knack released a huge sigh of relief and sat down at the table with a regal glare of concern on his handsome roughly bearded face. "Well, how was that?"

"You 'care about' her?" Lucas muttered with disappointment as he looked over his left shoulder to show that emotion within his brown eyes. Knack returned that disgruntled stare with one that was full of authority and bravery.

"We just met, Lucas. I'll say that I _love_ her when I'm damn well ready."

"Pfft! Bullshit!"

"Lucas!" Ava exclaimed with anger as she, Vargas, Charlotte, and now Ryder and Katrina walked into the kitchen, having the others sit with Knack while the young leader of The Monks approached her lover as he turned back to his cooking of bacon and scrambled eggs. "That's just plain rude. Knack is right, you know. The two have just met last night and the word 'love' isn't even within their minds yet. For now, they're just best friends. The fact that she's recently single is just the icing on the cake."

"That's right." Benson replied for his human creation, who was now at a loss for words as he thought about his date will turn out. "Of course, you already know the story of how Charlotte and I met and how we worked on a car together."

"Yeah, I remember…" Lucas replied, then quoted: "By the time that car was finished, you were madly in love. How long did it take you two to build that car anyway?"

"About a month, but it was totally worth it. We discovered that we had so much in common during that time. It was a match made in Heaven."

"It sure was, dear." Charlotte agreed as the two held hands together. "In other words, patience is indeed a virtue and we mustn't take it for granted. In Knack's case with Eclaire, this is especially true. Hopefully, bringing up her ex within a date won't be too much for her."

"…It will, but she'll be alright." Knack confessed ten seconds after that last word from Mrs. Vargas. That made everyone, except Lucas, turn towards the human relic hero with shock. "I don't know why, but something about Daniel is striking more negative chords than I previously thought. I want Eclaire to be comfortable with explaining Daniel's flaws. When I feel that she's not, I'll demand that she should stop and change the subject right away."

"But, what if she doesn't want to stop, despite the discomfort?" Katrina asked with utmost concern. Knack closed his eyes and bowed his head even further before he replied with:

"Then, we'll both take everything she says with a grain of salt and dig deeper into it together."

"Huh!" Ryder exclaimed with astonishment. "Now if that's not very gentleman-like, then I don't know what is."

"Our sentiments exactly!" Everybody else, except Knack, verbally agreed together. Just hearing that made the human relic hero pull off a small smile of honor, making him feel better about the day ahead.

As for Eclaire herself at her single story home near the countryside of Newhaven…

Dressed in a purple sweatshirt and matching baggy sweatpants with white socks, she just entered her kitchen with her 2-year-old golden brown and white male pomsky, Timber, following her at her feet for a hearty breakfast, but before she could get to the cabinet, the small sound of a holobot was heard from the living room. She didn't head in that direction, however, as it came to her just seconds after. It stopped right before her and showed a hologram of Knack telling his message to her:

"Eclaire, I'd love to see you again at 12 noon sharp for lunch and much more today. I want to confess that I've sensed a whole lot more about you than what you've explained to me last night and I'm hoping that I could share it all with you during our date. The main subject of what I sensed: Your ex-boyfriend, Daniel Deakon. Something within me is telling me that there's more to the break-up than just the fact that he was deadbeat and was the laziest man you knew. I'm hoping we can talk about it peacefully. Think about it. I care about you this much to bring this up."

She was absolutely shocked beyond words as the holobot automatically turned off and made a ten-point landing on a vacant spot upon the kitchen counter. She couldn't help but stare at it for a good long minute before she turned around and kneeled down towards her beloved Timber, who frowned with her as she petted him between his triangular wolf-like ears.

"I knew it, Timber." She started softly, making her voice sound like it was from an angel. "Knack understood me all that time. That human form of his has so much more than his usual awesome powers. He even got Daniel's last name! That's just… remarkable. I know I'm not gonna like talking about my ex and so does Knack, but I'm not gonna let that stop me. If he wants to know the whole truth about what really happened between us, then it shall be done. He's not called the 'Hero of Newhaven' for nothing. Hell, I'll take you with us, Timber. I'm sure Knack wants to meet you… especially since you're part of the conversation, too. Are you up for meeting Knack?" Two cute barks sounded and she smiled. "Good boy. You won't be disappointed. Oh, and I noticed how he said that he 'cares about' me. Well, even though we just met, I feel more than just 'caring' towards him in return. He wants to play it safe for a while and I don't mind that one bit. My God, Timber. I'm really going out with quite the gentleman. I pray that it all goes well today. For now, let's eat. I'm starving." Timber barked two more times in agreement before they both continued with the usual breakfast routine.

Later, back at the Doctor's Mansion at 11AM sharp…

Knack and Doctor Vargas were back in the underground lab, having the doctor carefully inject a harmless, but highly effective serum that was completely clear into his human relic hero creation's right arm. Of course, being completely invincible to pain, Knack didn't feel it at all, but he kept perfect still until he knew it was over. During that time, Benson Vargas had this to say to his creation:

"Knack, since you brought up the fact that you can specifically sense what's within us humans in this new human form, now might be the perfect time to explain why. In your relic self, your thought processes were above average, but not quite at a genius level. Within this human form of yours, however, you've not only gained enough knowledge of someone who's been living on this Earth longer than me, but you've also gained new abilities that enable you to see through a human's exterior and into the mind and soul of one without even thinking about it. I was going to mention those powers to you yesterday, but Lucas' excitement got ahead of me."

"I understand completely, Doc." Knack reassured in his usually calm demeanor. "So, when I declared that I pointed out those facts from Eclaire, including her ex's first and last name, does that mean that I… used… telepathy?"

"Without even trying, yes. You automatically used it last night during your first meeting with her and didn't even notice until you woke up this morning. It is a special skill that has to be used responsibly. Using it excessively can create more harm than good, if you're not careful. I even discovered that your life orb can react to such findings by means of color changes; sort of like a mood ring, except it's your life force."

"Really?" Knack's transformation serum injection was complete by the time that was said from the hero and he turned towards his creator, looking down at him as he did so with utmost attention.

"Yes. Of course, right now, it's at its normal blue color, which means you're completely normal in terms of what your sensing, which is nothing. But, when you sense something that reeks of evil and unsurpassed amounts of negativity that involves any one of us, Eclaire included, it'll pulsate bright red along with the thunderous sound of a booming heartbeat, indicating your upcoming fury that you will bestow upon your enemy. That's just one example for now. Hopefully, you'll keep the general idea in mind throughout your day with Eclaire today."

"Hmmm… gotcha. Sounds simple enough. I'm sure I can translate every color that pops up on me."

"Oh, I know you can. You have enough of a genius brain to do it. Go on now, Knack. I won't even wait up for you, if I have to." Vargas paused as he gave his human creation a heartwarming embrace, even with his head at Knack's hard-as-steel abs. "Take all the time you want with her."

"Thanks, Doc. I'll call you if I need you."

An hour later, after a soothing plane flight…

Knack alone had flown and landed the customized plane perfectly upon the grounds just before the Xiaochan Farmland gates. He was astonished to see this as he carefully got out, revealing that he was dressed in a baby blue tank top with fresh new pair of baggy white khakis and matching white and blue sneakers. He then basically pushed the black metal gates opened and saw over 20,000 acres of peaceful farmland that made him feel like he was at a second home, especially with the clean spring breeze that followed his closing of the gates. He made his way further in by a dirt path and looked left and right at every few steps to see many animals freely grazing the land: horses, cows, chickens, donkeys, and even a few llamas and alpacas. All in all, it was the most heartwarming place he's ever been since his creation.

After walking for about fifteen miles, he finally spotted Eclaire washing a miniature horse with Timber alongside her in the 'lying-at-the-master's-feet' position. Knack had to stop in his tracks for a moment just to admire her with his handsome smile. Even his life orb started to softly pulsate a deep shade of pink as he did so. The Asian American woman was dressed in a white tank top that was tucked in to her boot cut blue jeans and had on the toughest pair of cowgirl boots. Her long black hair was even styled in an adorable thick topknot ponytail to keep her back cool during her usual warm days out on her farm. Knack knew he was flashing pink, but didn't want to point that out to her as he finally decided to approach her dog first, who barked happily upon seeing him, which got his owner's attention almost immediately, even though she was still focused on her horse.

"You're right on time, Knack." Eclaire stated as she got around her three foot tall horse to see him while still tending to it. Her smile never ceased as she saw how gentle he was towards her small adult dog. "And I don't see a single watch on you."

"Being on time is what I do best." Knack admitted with pride as he picked up Timber and he just rested within his massive cradling arms. "I'm deeply impressed by this farmland, though. 20,000 acres is a lot bigger than I thought."

"And I love every single inch of it. I've loved animals since I was 2 years old, but being a vet wasn't really my goal. Just the thought of having to do an eventual surgery to remove a sock from a dog's stomach makes me feel a little queasy. So, I decided to run and own a farm all on my own by the time I graduated from college. What do you think of it?"

"It's amazing, but doesn't having a farm in a 99 percent city like Newhaven make you feel like an outcast to the rest of the people?"

"Awww, Knack. You're so sweet to ask me that. I do admit that this farm is a bit outta place here, but I'm happy to have this as my home. Let those people say what they want. I don't care."

"Same here… and Timber here is really cute. What kind of dog is he?" A couple of joyful barks came from the said canine as the human relic hero asked this question right when Eclaire grabbed a water hose to gently rinse off her soapy horse.

"He's a pomsky, a cross between a Pomeranian and a Siberian husky. Getting him wasn't cheap, but I had the money for him."

"I'm guessing this a very rare breed."

"Yep! He's got the loyalty and bravery from the husky half and the cuddling toy personality from the pom-pom half, which suits me perfectly after I had to break up with Daniel."

"I see. Did you get my message?"

"I sure did and, I've gotta be honest with you, Knack…" Eclaire paused as she had just finished rinsing her horse. "…you truly care about me more than I thought. What in the right mind made you come after me last night of all women at the club?"

"That's a mystery to me, too. I've only been human for two days now and I'm still trying to figure out the primary reason as to why I pointed you out. For now, I can truthfully say that I sought you out specifically because I've already encountered enough women at your age beforehand and they just admired me for my looks, which is what I've been told to ignore from my friend, Lucas. I saw you and you just looked much more innocent and honest and didn't look like you would focus on just my appearance alone. Now, I've just gotten to see how beautiful you truly look and I'm much more attracted to you now." Eclaire blushed with appreciation after that speech, even while she was staring at Knack's life orb continuing to pulsate that pink color from before.

"My beauty and the fact that I'm trustworthy aren't the primary reasons for your attraction to me, huh? Why are you looking pink then, Knack? Are you…" Eclaire became seductive as she approached the tall hero and wrapped her slender arms around his neck while standing on her toes to look deeper into his cute black eyes. "…_enamored_ with me already?"

"I'm half-way there." Knack's smile became a bit amorous as well as he gently wrapped just his massive hands alone around her love handles. "But, until Daniel is out of the picture somehow, we can't go any further."

"I understand. Even though he's not my boyfriend anymore and want nothing more to do with him, he's still on my mind for all the wrong reasons." Eclaire released her compassionate embrace from Knack as she continued while walking along the dirt path with the hero next to her on her left and Timber on her right, being a good boy along the way. "I first met him during my freshman year at Haven University. At first, he was just like you: sweet, compassionate, caring, and protective. He never made me leave his side and it was all because he loved me. But, then, he pulled off his first viral stunt during our summer vacation two years later and all that just flew out the window."

"What exactly did he do?"

"He uses his bike and skateboard to do death defying stunts, all just for internet fame and attention. The good news about that is that he's made tons of money off of it, but the bad news is that he's been ignoring me completely. Even going out to a simple dinner date was impossible for us! I couldn't stand it!"

"I see." Knack's life orb turned back to being his normal blue color again as the conversation continued. Eclaire's eyes got a bit watery just seconds after that as she continued.

"There is more bad news to all of this: It turns out that Daniel doesn't give a damn about animals during all of his stunts."

"What?! Animals are precious creatures!"

"Glad you think so, but he just doesn't care. Whenever an innocent animal was in the way of his path, he would just run over it like garbage and treat it as such, if you catch my drift." The two stopped just before the wooden fence that surrounded the grazing llamas and alpacas and looked at each other, having Eclaire continue her solemn statement. "He even treated Timber like trash once! That sent me over the edge, Knack!"

"…" Knack became a little angry, due to his life orb now showing a blood red color, but without the booming heartbeat sound-off. Eclaire picked up her beloved dog and cuddled him close to her as she continued.

"Poor Timber was just running around the park with me, but Daniel just came out of nowhere with his mountain bike at Lord knows what speed and, while Timber was on his way back to me from fetching the Frisbee, Daniel just ran over him and it knocked him out. Everybody at the park saw that and I was horrified, but Daniel never stopped. He was so fucking focused on his camera and fame… ugh! I couldn't stand it anymore! Luckily, Timber's okay. Turns out that there were no internal injuries, but he was left unconscious for about two days. I had to keep him indoors until he fully recovered within a week. That was when I decided to break up with Daniel and he didn't take it very well…"

(Flashback – a year and a half ago at Haven University; Eclaire's dorm room…)

"Whoo! Damn, that was badass, y'all!" Daniel spoke to his viewers in a nearly Southern accent on his camera as he just busted through the brown wooden door. Eclaire watched this with a dark, unimpressed glare in her eyes as she sitting at the very edge of her queen sized bed with Timber watching from within her lap, softly growling at the soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. "Other than that dumb-ass dog that was in the way, the whole shit was just totally awesome! See y'all tomorrow! Danny D out!" After he turned off his camera, he saw how pissed Eclaire was, but was unfazed by it as he worked on getting his safety gear off. "Hey, babe! How was that shit, huh?!"

"Timber's a dumb-ass dog, huh?" She spat back, completely ignoring Daniel's question. He was completely taken aback by this as he was just taking off his elbow pads.

"Oh, damn! That was Timber I ran over?! My bad-"

"No! No-no-no-no!" She paused as she stood up fast, holding the still growling pomsky in her arms as she got as close to his face as she could. "FUCK YOUR GODDAMN APOLOGY, DANIEL! I've had it up to here with your fake stunt bullshit! Your lazy ass hasn't paid any attention to me or Timber for over two years now! I'M FUCKIN' DONE WITH YOU!"

"Well, what the hell am I _supposed _to do?! I just needed a roof ova my head and snaggin' you was the only way! I AIN'T GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO GO!"

"Oh, so you've just been using me for shelter?! Usually, I would do that, but since you don't really love me along the way, I'm just gonna have to kick you out! I'll be much better off with just me and Timber in my dorm from now on!"

"Oh, a'ight, fine! But, I'm-a tell ya this, Eclaire…" Daniel paused as he got even closer, not intimidating her at all as she kept her regal glare of anger. "…you haven't seen the last of me. I'll be back for your ass and you'll regret ever doing this to me.'

"Oooooh, I'm so scared, I'm shaking. Tell that shit to someone who cares!" Timber snarled within his growls this time as she said this. "Now, get… the FUCK… **OUT!**"

"Bitch…" That was Daniel's last word before he finally got out of his safety gear and walked past the still angry Eclaire towards his room to pack his things, but at just halfway there, he slowly placed down his things and made a quick turnaround towards her for a sucker punch to the face, but thanks to her lifetime of Kung-Fu and ninjutsu training, she sensed it coming and miraculously blocked it with her free right hand while _still _keeping her precious dog secure in her left arm. That made him bark his loudest in addition to the snarls and growls. The two kept that position of his fist in her hand while staring down at each other for approximately thirty seconds before she pushed him back and he backed away two additional steps in defeat. As he did so, Eclaire had this to say to him:

"Try me, Daniel. Kick my ass now and I'll be sure to find a way to kick your balls later."

He never responded as he continued on his way to packing up and leaving for good. It took him about ten minutes to do so. Eclaire had sat back down on the couch with Timber now quieting down to just the soft growls from deep within his throat as he was in her lap. Daniel walked past them with two very hefty pieces of rolling luggage, but not without stopping to glare at them one last time. It lasted for another thirty seconds before the man finally left the room and her heart forever.

(End flashback)

"…if there's one thing I hate other than goblins, it's total disregard to those who cared for you." Knack concluded after Eclaire explained her story. The two of them were now inside the seemingly massive two-story mansion's living room, having tea and cookies. "Glad you could defend yourself, though."

"It's all thanks to my parents." Eclaire agreed with pride as she allowed Timber to eat his dog food between them underneath the tea table. "I've been studying Kung-Fu, tai chi, and ninjutsu since I was 5. Self-defense is the best thing for a woman to have these days, ya know."

"Still, the way you described his departure does strike a suspicious chord within my life orb." And it was yellow to prove it. Eclaire frowned at it with worry.

"I see. You're as yellow as someone who's afraid. You're not, are you?"

"I cannot lie to you, Eclaire. I am scared, but I'm not scared of Daniel. I'm scared for you. Something about this whole situation has something much deeper and darker than this. I can't make it out, though… _yet_."

"I understand, Knack. I'm sure you'll protect me, no matter what." The two had just finished their tea and sugar cookies and only Eclaire looked at the clock just above the kitchen to her left. "It's only 3 PM and we haven't officially gotten on a date yet. The day's still young, Knack. You feel up for it?"

"Definitely." The two stood up together before Knack volunteered to clean up the tray. "As soon as I finish cleaning these dishes, how about I treat you to a flight trip to the many places I've made an impact?"

"First of all, thanks for volunteering to clean up _my _mess. Secondly, that sounds like fun because I've heard you've done quite a lot in so many places."

"It wasn't easy, even though it seemed like it from your perspective. You'll see what I mean shortly." After that was said, the human relic hero went right to work on cleaning the dishes. Eclaire just had to be in the kitchen with him in order to see how tender he can actually be for someone so tall and muscular.

Meanwhile, at a middle-class apartment complex, five minutes later…

Daniel had just stepped out onto his balcony, dressed in a white tank top and baggy green plaid pants with black socks. He currently drank a can of beer as he rested on the railing and looked out onto the midday sun. Despite the fact that he was indeed pissed off at the fact that Eclaire broke up with him because of, what he thought was, a dumb excuse, he still had feelings for her and his dark smile proved it as he took a swig on his beverage. He was still successful as a viral stuntman, which explains why he's on the very top floor of the the 30 story complex. At about a minute later, just before he was about to head back inside, he saw a blue plane fly by in the distance. At first, he wondered who that was until he saw that Eclaire was sitting passenger behind the mysterious pilot. That angered him even more as he spoke out his opinion to his own pet male brown and black Pitbull that had just approached him with curiosity.

"Oh, so Eclaire's bitch-ass got a new man, huh?" He started as he crushed his now empty beer can. "Humph! Fuckin' bastard! I can't quite see who that is from here, but I'm sure as hell gonna find out sooner or later. She don't deserve another man after what she did to me. What does he have that I don't anyway?! FUCK YOU, ECLAIRE!" He tried to see if she could hear that from that massive distance of 50 miles, but to no avail. The plane continued to fly by and, when it was gone, he growled. "Damn, she ain't hear me. One day, girl… one… day… we gonna see who's really at fault with our failed relationship."

As for Knack and Eclaire…

They had just landed their plane on a rooftop… _the _rooftop where Lucas learned that 'We all make mistakes. What matters is what you do next.' That small lesson was from Knack himself and he already started to feel proud as Eclaire carefully got out of the plane first to take in a deep breath of the burden that had befallen on this particular spot in Newhaven's city limits back when Xander had unleashed all of the Ancient Weapons into an all-out destruction frenzy towards everyone. The human relic hero admired her even more from this view for a little while, even though his life orb was his normal blue color. Right when he was about to call out to her to start a conversation, however…

"Knack, this specific location just feels like it's been hit pretty hard. I mean, I've heard about it before, but…" She paused as she sighed and sat at the edge of the building to see the repairs being done at a steady pace. Knack had just approached her with a calm smile before sitting down on that same edge on her left. "…weren't they difficult to fight, even in your super awesome relic form?"

"I'll admit it: it was hard to begin with." Knack confessed with a tone in his signature deep voice that said he was okay with it. This made Eclaire smile. "Of course, the smaller robots weren't a problem really. It was the Titans that were hard to take down. I can see why Ava said that back then, our primitive humans didn't know what to do to them until Marius came along."

"And his strike team took down the Control Center."

"Yeah, exactly. Nowadays…" Knack paused and sighed as he looked out into the distance with his life orb now flashing white. This made his potential mate look at it with concern. "…I always feel like if I had existed back then, none of this would happen."

"I understand. People have thoughts about that all the time, Knack. It's a part of life. I'll bet that not even the goblins would oppose you if that happened, too."

"Really? Because they sure do hate me and I hate them."

"I know, but absolutely. Now, why are you flashing Heaven's light on your chest, Knack? It looks good on ya."

"I'm at complete peace being up here with you. I guess visiting these old locations for reminiscing purposes with you specifically makes me feel… _refreshed_." The young Asian American was astonished by this proclamation from somebody like Knack and she slightly leaned back with absolute shock. "I know it's stunning to take in on our first date, but it's the truth. I've never felt like this before until I met you, Eclaire."

"Awww, Knack. That's so sweet of you." The two stood up and gave each other the most heartwarming embrace they've ever share so far, having Eclaire hear the hero's life orb slightly beating like a heart while pulsating in a shade of light pink. "I feel the same way about you. You are nothing like Daniel." The two slightly separated with Eclaire's slender arms around his neck while his massive hands were around her love handles. "Despite this totally badass and sexy look you've got here, you've been such a gentleman. Did you… learn how to be one all this time while you were saving the world twice?"

"Yeah. It's a secret I've been keeping to myself, too."

"And it shows very well. So, where to next?"

So, all throughout the rest of the day, Knack and Eclaire paid many visits to many locations where Knack and his friends made the most impact, which even included the high goblin city where Rothari held quite a showdown with his Ancient Weapons with the help of Gundahar. The Asian American was just stunned to see and hear everything's Knack's been through and wondered how he survived it all in his relic form. At this point, the two were close to be deemed as inseparable and Knack's quick flashing of the bright shade of pink on his life orb once more throughout the whole tour reflected that factor.

The two were finally done for the day at around 8:30 when the human relic hero dropped Eclaire off at her farm home's front gates. Before she got out of the plane's back seat, though, there was just one thing to had to give to Knack for his sweet generosity: A tender kiss on the left cheek. Feeling this made him physically blush for the first time with a look on his roughly bearded face that said that he was nervous. His life orb flashed yellow to show that, which made her giggle her cutest since they first met.

"Awww, don't be so nervous, Knack." She said with comfort as she gently stroked his rugged beard. "I was bound to give you a kiss at some point today. Consider it my thanks for quite the educational tour of your heroics. Maybe tomorrow you should just hang out with me here at the farm for a while. I do have quite the list of heavy chores that could use your formidable strength."

"Sounds like a plan, Eclaire." Knack replied in a normal tone of his deep voice, despite his trepidation. He was still yellow. "I… appreciate that kiss, too."

"I know you do. By the way, since I started dating Daniel, I've only kissed him twice. I just might kiss you more than that in the future, Knack. So, let's try not to show that yellow in your life orb the next time around, okay?"

"Gotcha. It's just that… everything's happening so quickly for me on this first date and I didn't see that coming."

"That's an easy fix for next time. Well, good night, Knack. I'll see you tomorrow." At that last word, Eclaire professionally and gracefully flipped out the plane, impressing Knack even more as she watched. His black eyes even stayed wide with astonishment as she walked into her gates. After two minutes, he regained his senses and flew back to the Doctor's Mansion for the night, already hoping for an even better day as human tomorrow, now that he has someone to call his soulmate.

To be continued…


	5. Higher Optimisms

Chapter 5: Higher Optimisms

The next morning sure did bring in even more positive vibes for Knack as he woke up in his small relic form. He did so because he didn't want to talk about it right when he woke up, especially since he was asleep in the lab with the Doctor and Lucas just coming in with joyful smiles of their own. The two knew he had an excellent day with Eclaire yesterday and it was due to be even better today.

In fact, that factor was almost immediately proven to be true as the faint sound of a holobot buzzing in from the other side of the lab was heard and it stopped just before the small relic hero, having Vargas and Lucas watch with curiosity.

"Good morning, Knack." Eclaire started from the hologram. "I hope you've slept as well as I did, despite how excited I was last night. Like I said yesterday, I'm really looking forward to seeing you again today at my farm. I love to see you work hard on the heavy jobs over here and see if you can handle the stress that usually gets to me when it comes to them. You look like you stay cool under pressure, no matter what. In addition to that, my girls have just told me about how Daniel's been doing and, so far, they haven't gotten anything new, other than the fact that he's been uncomfortably quiet since we broke up two years ago. I'm hoping it doesn't turn out be a bad omen for us, but for now, let's not dwell on that. I just wanna see you, Knack. And so does Timber. Usually, he doesn't anticipate new men coming at me, but this is a special case. I'll see you later. Don't make me wait too long, okay? I love you, Knack." The holobot then made another ten point landing towards its charging station not too far from where all three of the men were.

"Oh, NOW she tells ya that she 'loves' you." Lucas quoted with sarcasm and crossed his arms in that same manner. Knack could only smile with appreciation with a nod of admittance. Dr. Benson Vargas approached his creation with a grin of his own that was full of pride and picked him up as his assistant continued: "Sheesh! That was quick. What happened yesterday?"

"I'm sure that whatever happened then was surely something worthy of upgrading that 'quite fond of you' phase into 'love'." Vargas replied in Knack's behalf. "How about you gather up some relics and we'll talk about it?" Knack shook his head. "No?"

"Ya see? Something HUGE happened yesterday! I just know it. Lemme see if I can take a guess." It was now silent as both Benson and Knack, who was in the doctor's arms now, watched the young assistant mentally contemplate an educated guess for approximately five minutes. At the last few seconds, Charlotte, Ryder, Ava, and Katrina all entered the lab with curious faces before Lucas finally came out with: "Eclaire kissed you last night."

"WHAT?!" Everyone, except Knack, exclaimed with absolute shock, having his creator look down at him with astonishment before he asked alone: "Is this true, Knack?"

The relic hero's response: Three slow nods. That made the others jump with bewilderment simultaneously.

"Huh! And I can see why. That was my first time seeing what she looks like and I must say: She's quite a sight. In addition to that, she has a farm all to herself."

"Amazing!" Ava exclaimed. "Knack, you are one lucky guy so far. I'm hoping the kiss was on the cheek, though." Again, Knack nods twice with a smile of confidence this time. "Ah, of course."

"Aww, man…" Lucas groaned with disappointment.

"Now, now, Lucas." Charlotte reassured gently like a mother. "We mustn't rush everything between Eclaire and Knack. They've only just started to know each other. What other information did we miss, dear?"

"Well, other than the fact that Eclaire owns a farm, she also mentioned that there hasn't been any activity from her ex since they broke up two years ago." Benson replied while he finally allowed Knack to leap out of his arms and gather up some relics to his desired height. "And she said it was 'uncomfortably silent'. What do you suppose that could mean?"

"Maybe he's one of those exes that doesn't take a break-up very well." Ryder guessed. "Believe me… I know…" He then slowly glanced over at Katrina and she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh, brother." She muttered afterwards. "Besides, _I _broke up with _you_. You should be the one suffering."

"I was. You had literally hundreds of thousands of security robots aiming at me, especially the ones that looked like you!"

"ANYWAY!" Lucas exclaimed to get everyone's attention. "It looks like whatever happened between Daniel and Eclaire didn't go so well and he's secretly plotting some kind of revenge lay."

"LUCAS!" Charlotte exclaimed with fear and understanding all at once. "Are you sure?!"

"That's exactly what I think it is." Knack came in as he was already in his human form, dressed in a jade green leather vest with baggy brown khakis and massive black combat boots. "She doesn't want to jump into conclusions right now and I agree with her, especially since she just proclaimed that she loves me."

"You are absolutely right, Knack. Don't you love her in return?" Immediately after that last word was said from Charlotte, his life orb turned to that nervous yellow for just a few seconds. This made the doctor laugh.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! You do, but you don't want to admit it to her… _yet_." Vargas guessed, which made the human relic hero blush, nearly making his cheeks match the red rugged facial hair. "Awww, it's alright, Knack. You can love her back. You _must_. That is how you truly feel about her, right?"

"Yeah." Knack replied as the yellow faded back to the normal blue, but he was still red in the cheeks. "It just all happened so fast for me last night and I wasn't ready. Now that I know what the plan is for today, I can totally be much more prepared. I have absolute confidence now." And the blush disappeared to prove that theory right away after that was said.

"That's my boy! Now, don't let us hold you back any longer. Go ahead and have a good time. We'll expect more information and good news from you when you return."

"Thanks, everyone." Knack gave everyone a group hug after that was said before he went on his way to Eclaire's farm. When he was gone, Lucas had this to say with a smile that was ear-to-ear:

"You go get 'em, Knack!"

Several minutes of another peaceful flight later…

Eclaire was just finishing up with cooking a hearty breakfast of two short stacks of pancakes with six strips of bacon, two sausage patties, and a pile of hash browns before she heard the doorbell and Timber barked with pure joy as he already sensed who that was. Eclaire did as well as she straightened up her pure white t-shirt and dusted off her hands on her tough pair of blue jeans before heading for the front double doors of her mansion and opened it to see Knack with a smile so handsome, she nearly got wet between her legs immediately.

"Good morning." Knack greeted in a tender tone of his handsome voice. "I got your holobot message and I would be lying to you if I didn't admit that I love you, too."

"Awww, Knack! Really?! You love me just as much as I do?!" Eclaire asked with extreme happiness. The life orb didn't even change color as he nodded twice and gave her a gentle embrace to prove it. Eclaire's light brown eyes welled up in tears, but they never escaped as they were in this warm hug for the next minute. When it was over, the two made their way inside and towards the kitchen for their first true feast together as a couple. As soon as they sat down and Timber started eating his bowl of healthy dog food, the conversation continued. "I'm so blessed to hear you say that. Did you get the rest of the message, too?"

"Yeah." Knack replied as he started on his pancakes at the exact same time his new girlfriend started on her hash browns. "First of all, I'm glad to hear that you have friends that care about you."

"Yeah. I have three of the coolest best friends I could ever have: Valerie Ojime, Rayona Xi, and Tai Varcutchi. Even though they force me to do things that I'm not comfortable with, they're still the best in my eyes. We've been friends since we were in elementary school and haven't separated from each other since."

"I see. Are they all Asian Americans, just like you?"

"Yep! Figured it out by their names, huh?"

"Heh-heh, yeah. So, what did you exactly mean by Daniel being 'uncomfortably silent'? I mean, I know you already told me the whole story and all, but I'm sure there's something much deeper than the fact that it was just the allegedly accidental injury done to Timber that triggered it."

"Well, as much as I wanna tell you the juicy details, I just can't. With that silence from him, it's just too risky, even in the privacy of this house and farm. I've literally gotten a restraining order against him, for God's sake!"

"I see. I hope you don't mind, then…"

"What is it, Knack?"

"When we somehow encounter Daniel during our times together, I wanna do the talking alone." Eclaire widened her eyes with surprise for literally two seconds before the human relic hero continued. "I can, at least, feel his inner emotions from here. He's… _desperate._"

"…wwwwhat? What the hell could he be up to? Ya know what, Knack? You… are… incredible." Eclaire showed a sly smirk as she slowly continued to eat her breakfast. Knack was eating a normal pace. "I suppose I could let you talk to him when the time is right. He could use a man with dignity and respect to force some common sense into his tiny brain. You won't hurt him, will you?"

"Unless he becomes a threat to you."

"God bless you, Knack. Such a gentleman. Of course, judging by those muscles, you're gonna give it to him like you did to the Ancient Weapons and the goblins."

"And he probably won't feel anything afterwards."

"Ha, ha! Perfect. After what he put me through, he deserves it. Now, how about we start this day off right, huh? I kinda wanna see if you can sweat now."

"We'll see, won't we?" They both chuckled with humor before it became silent for the remainder of the meal while they just watched each other from across the table. Eclaire just couldn't believe it. After such a disaster with Daniel, she never thought the human version of Knack would fall head over heels in love with her. Of course, having her ex see this would really send him over the edge, but after hearing Knack promise to never give him harm unless it was absolutely necessary, it was a risk that she was willing to take, even if it violated the restraining order.

After that hefty breakfast was done and Knack, once again, volunteered to do the dishes as well as clean up the kitchen, the two and Timber went out to the farm to officially start the day off with feeding the small group of four horses. Eclaire handled the Clydesdales themselves by leading them out of the stables. By the time she got out to the hay field, she saw how easily Knack was bringing down those 200 pound squares of hay from the barn that was just five feet away from them all. He carried them down one at a time, but they seemed like they were as light as a box of feathers by the way he handled them. By the time he was finished, he carried one of rectangular bale of hay to the horses and they didn't waste a moment digging in together. Eclaire was impressed.

"Damn, Knack." She started with admiration as she started to gently brush one black and white horse's mane with professional precision. Knack kept his handsome smile of pure confidence as he grabbed a spare brush and did the same to a brown Clydesdale that was right next to her own. They were facing each other along the way. "You really didn't break a sweat after that. What else can't ya do?"

"Hold my breath underwater. I don't need to. I got to that test almost immediately after I first turned into this human form." Knack admitted with pride. "And I dry up immediately after exiting the pool, too."

"Oh, wow. Swimming should be fun for you, then."

"Pretty much."

After that small talk, the two continued to work their hardest all around the farm. Eclaire kept the smaller light jobs while Knack easily handled _all _of the heavy ones and, at every second she stopped to watch him, she getting more and more enamored with him. This was something her ex would never be able to do, even if she asked and he accepted. She already had higher optimisms for her newfound relationship with the human relic hero, but her internal worries about Daniel were never ignored. Despite that latter factor, she still kept a smile full of hope on her face as she continued the work she loved to do.

As for Knack, he too couldn't believe that he was already learning how to take care of someone he loves more than his best friend, Lucas. As he was miraculously pushing an old, but still functional wheat tractor without a motor, he watched her milking buckets upon buckets of cow's milk with professional precision and he just couldn't look away at how beautiful she looked. Within his vision, she was glowing angel of pure peace towards all and his life orb silently pulsated a tickle-me-pink shade of the color to prove that he was truly in love with her, no matter what. He mentally vowed to do whatever it takes to protect her from now on…

…even if it were to put others in danger.

To be continued…

* * *

(Sorry this was pretty short, but trust me. It'll get better next chapter and beyond. Hope y'all are enjoying this so far. No flames as usual, please.)


	6. A Hero's First Fancy Feast

Chapter 6: A Hero's First Fancy Feast

Despite the fact that Knack sensed Daniel as being 'desperate' from Eclaire's farm, the man was physically looking anything but that as he was doing his usual weight lifting workout after his light, healthy lunch. Deep inside, he wished that he could've been more supportive of ex's goal of healing animals, but seeing that he really didn't care for the animal kingdom as much as she did, having that break up happen because of his accidental injury to her own dog scarred him so emotionally that it made him become vengeful. He was determined to take her back, whether Knack was in the way or not. Even with some despairing measures he had to take within his mind, one thing is for certain:

It was a risk of his life that he was willing to take for his girl.

Meanwhile, back at the farm…

Knack was as casual as he could be for someone with his life orb still glowing that adorable pink color as he was now taking in freshly laid eggs into the kitchen one 12 count carton at a time and Eclaire volunteered to place them in the refrigerator. She looked over at him at every hand-over and she just couldn't stop smiling. Of course, she didn't want to bring it up right away and run the risk of dropping the delicate eggs that her chickens worked so hard for. Instead, she decided to see if she could do it on the sly by asking this to the human relic hero:

"How are you doing so far, Knack?"

"Fantastic, thanks." Knack replied as he handed over more eggs. "I'm working up a literal sweat here, but I'm not getting tired at all."

"Must be another perk to being a relic creature turned human. Either that or we haven't gotten to the toughest jobs for you yet."

"No, it's the former." The last of the eggs had finally been handed to Eclaire and she just couldn't look away from the pink color on his life orb necklace. Knack noticed and sighed in surrender as he scratched a part of his long mullet with nervousness. "And it's also this pink color in my life orb here."

"What does it mean, Knack?" The Asian American became a bit coy as she wrapped her slender arms around his waist underneath his vest as she looked up at his black eyes that were full of passion. "You really are in love with me. You sure don't know how to exaggerate."

"That would be placed under the category of a 'lie' and I have yet to do that since my birth."

"And I believe you to the fullest. Let's keep the honesty going, then. Have you ever been to a fancy dinner?"

"I've never had to eat before until recently, so no. I am curious, though." Knack had his massive hands around his girlfriend's love handles as he continued while she kept her slender arms around his waist. "What's the difference between a fancy dinner and one shared in the privacy of your home?"

"Well, a dinner at home is what it is. An evening meal that you have with your friends and family with whatever the chef of the household puts on the table, no matter what. A fancy dinner is at a restaurant with a five star rating, the world's best chefs, and the finest food you could ever eat… and it all doesn't come cheap. Hell, just having an appetizer there costs more than the price of every single one of these cartons of eggs combined!"

"But, apparently, all that money spent on it pays off substantially in the end, right?"

"Yeah, you get it. And Gundahar said that 'thinking wasn't your strong suit'. Now, _he's_ the liar!" The two chuckled together after that. "So, anyway, ya feel up to a hero's feast fit for a knight? I already know the perfect place for it."

"Sound good, yeah. Do I have to dress up for it?"

"It's not a fast food restaurant you're going to."

"Convincing enough to me. I'll have to head back to the mansion to get cleaned up then. What time should I pick you up, Eclaire?"

"Any time after 7PM is perfect. I'll verbally lead you to the restaurant once you do get here, okay?"

"Gotcha." The two shared a small kiss on the lips this time and it didn't make Knack's orb turn yellow this time. Instead, it remained pink even longer, having it silently pulsate as their lips touched for that short time of five seconds. "Huh! That kiss was better than before."

"And you're not yellow this time. You're still as pink as all of my pigs. Keep this up and I'm hoping it'll be that normal blue color I love so much next time. You're getting more and more confident."

"Despite the fact that Daniel's desperate feelings are still felt from here."

"Don't let him distract you, Knack. Let's just focus on you and me tonight. We're gonna have a great time for your first night out on the town. I promise." Eclaire paused as she gently stroked his rugged red beard, making him show off that handsome smile in return. "Don't keep me waiting, Knack. We can talk more about Daniel any time after we get there. How does that sound?"

"Perfect." The two shared one more kiss, but it was slightly longer and deeper. So much so that he had to pick her up from underneath her arms. A whole minute later, she was gently placed back down on her feet before he headed for his plane to fly back and get ready for the date. When she saw the blue customized plane fly away, Eclaire held a hand to her chest with a compassionate glow in her brown eyes and sighed before she said:

"And he's just as perfect of a man for me."

Moments later, back at the Doctor's Mansion…

"What?!" Lucas exclaimed as Knack just walked into the mansion and headed upstairs to get ready for his date. His best friend had to follow him with utter disbelief. "You've got a date with Eclaire?! That first meeting didn't count, huh?"

"Because that's exactly what it was, Lucas." Knack pointed out as he got to his own personal closet to search for the perfect suit. "It was a first meeting."

"Damn it! I can't believe it! So, since that's the case, where are ya going?"

"Don't know yet. Eclaire just told me that she knows the perfect spot, but won't tell me until I pick her up at 7 tonight. In addition to that, she actually won't mind bringing up Daniel in a conversation during that time. We're both digging deeper into his mind and his current state of discerning silence." The human relic hero had picked the sharpest light brown casual suit for a night on the town at that last word, having Lucas pick up matching sneakers with black shoelaces.

"Whoa. That sounds serious. Could I be right? That there's a secret revenge lay in the works?"

"Maybe, but for now, I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Eclaire and I just want to celebrate our first date in style tonight and I'm hoping to come home with good news."

"I hope so, too." He handed over the shoes to his towering buddy. "Still, don't hesitate to take a holobot with ya, in case you need us."

"Will do." After that was said, Knack made his way downstairs to the bathing facility within the laboratory to begin his preparations alongside the doctor alone. He had to discuss this development and hear his creator's opinion of it.

Just minutes later, within that facility…

"I see." Vargas started as he watched the fully naked Knack take his first shower, which had a glass door to keep the steam away from the doctor on the other side. "And your life orb isn't yellow. You're not nervous about this first date with Eclaire, eh?"

"Not in the slightest, Doctor." Knack replied as he was currently washing himself off as if he's done it before. "I'm actually more excited than nervous."

"That's good to hear… and I know you both have been really keeping your minds on Daniel. I thought she didn't want it to distract you like she told you."

"There's a fine line between distraction and discussion. I'm not calling it the former because it's kind of a primary subject at this rate. As long as he's not physically present, he'll be more of the latter. That's why Eclaire doesn't mind bringing him up tonight, no matter how deeply in the mood we might get."

"Huh! I… didn't want that to make the most logical sense, but it did and I'll take it with a grain of salt, Knack. You two really do know what you're doing."

"Trust me on this, Doctor. I'll come back here a happier being than when I first turned into Stealth Knack."

"And I'll keep that trust in mind. Can I give you one piece of dating advice before you go, though?"

"Sure." Knack had just stepped out of the steamy shower with a towel around his waist and approached his creator, looking down at him with utmost attention.

"Keep every action on your first date consensual, if it ever gets to that point. Don't rush into it."

"Keep it clean. Got it. Thanks, Doctor." The two shook hands with smiles of respect for one another before Knack went over to the dressing station to get into his suit and then some.

When he did so within five minutes, Knack took a good look at himself in the full body mirror before him and he couldn't help but smile his cutest smile since he first turned human. The casual suit consisted of a jade green tank top underneath the seemingly heavy suit jacket with his massive arms slipping through the sleeves perfectly, matching brown baggy pants, and the most badass brown and green street sneakers on his huge feet. He kept his smile as he held on to the jacket because he just couldn't believe how far he's already gotten as a human. He's already mastered the proper way to be a gentleman and got to call one of the most beautiful women in all of Newhaven his girlfriend within a couple of days. Now as he patiently waits for the opportunity to be the Hero of Newhaven once more as a human for the first time, he's mentally hoping that he truly does still have his formidable powers he was born with. So far, he hasn't had the need to use them… _yet_. With that in mind, he had this to say to his reflection verbally:

"I'll keep being the hero I was born to be, whether it's to impress Eclaire or not. You've got this, Knack. You've got this.

A few hours later, at 6:50 PM…

"Congratulations on getting your first date in at such a quick time." Ava commented as she, Charlotte, and Katrina all followed Knack outside in the backyard towards his and Lucas' plane. "And you're all cool, calm, and collected, I see."

"He's not an anxious wreck, like most men prior to a first date." Charlotte pointed out. "Planning on… going to second base already, Knack?"

"As much as I want to, I have to be the gentleman that I am and follow the proper rules." The human relic hero replied matter-of-factly as he carefully climbed into the two passenger aircraft. "Besides, the Doctor told me to take it easy and, if something does happen, keep it consensual for now."

"That's my darling Doctor. He always knows exactly how to handle things when it comes to human nature."

"Well, how about one more piece of advice from a woman, Knack?" Katrina asked. Knack nodded twice as he started up the plane. "Since she's quite the beautiful woman, make sure you keep her only within your sights as much as you can. The slightest piece of suspicion can be dangerous."

"Perfect words to live by, Katrina. Thanks. Wish me luck, ladies… and Ava, tell Lucas to ease up on the worrying. I can sense him shaking with much more anxiety than me right now from here."

"Heh, heh! Of course, you can." Ava chuckled before she obeyed the hero's orders immediately with Katrina and Charlotte following her back inside the mansion seconds later. When the door closed shut, that's when Knack finally flew off back towards Eclaire's farm to pick her up and start his first date with finesse.

Later, at 7 PM on the nose, at the front gates of the farmland…

"Where is she?" Knack playfully asked himself as he flashed the purple laser lights on the exterior of the plane as a sign of his presence for the fourth time. It took a whole extra minute before the double doors of the house finally opened and his heart nearly went to his throat as well as his life orb turning into passion red this time as he finally saw Eclaire walk out in her fancy, but casual best:

She was wearing a baby blue leather jacket with a brown sleeveless blouse underneath that showed a decent amount of midriff and a pair of black dress pants with matching brown high-top sneakers. Lastly, her long, silky black hair was free from her usual topknot and was flowing freely behind her with peace and tranquility as she had an adorable smile on her face.

Overall, she looked absolutely amazing!

"…wow." Knack softly exclaimed, nearly sounding breathless as Eclaire approached the plane. "You… uh… look very… very… um…"

"Beautiful? Stunning? Gorgeous? I'll take any one of those, Knack." The Asian American woman replied with humor as she took her time climbing into the back passenger seat of the plane.

"…I was actually gonna say that you are incredibly beautiful. I was just surprised to see you dressed like that for the first time."

"The usual excuse I used to get from Daniel whenever I dressed up like this. Anyway, I can't wait to see what you've got on when we make landfall at Ocean Breeze Seafood. That's a five star restaurant that has the fancy expensive feel, but not too expensive prices. I don't wanna overwhelm you on your first date."

"Thank you, Eclaire. I appreciate it." After that was said, the two finally flew off to their first official date.

Ten minutes of a moonlit flight later…

They made the safe landing at the roomy rear end of the massive building that was big enough to be a superstore. From a distance, Knack and Eclaire could see various people coming in and out of the restaurant and this made the human relic hero feel even more confident as his life orb was back to being his usual blue when he turned off the plane. Seconds later, he jumped out first to simply show his girlfriend what he was wearing and she raised an eyebrow with astonishment before she carefully climbed out of the aircraft.

"Holy hot damn, Knack." She commented as she approached him and unbuttoned the suit jacket, so she could see his massive muscles within the tank top. "You say I look incredible. You're looking uber sexy and stunning all at once. I'm hoping that no other women tries to get to you tonight."

"I've already got a surefire plan to keep that from happening. I'm also going to make sure no man touches you, either."

"Aww, Knack. You're so sweet. Let's go. I'm starving."

Several seconds later…

"My God!" The male waiter at the entrance gasped as he immediately recognized the tall handsome man who was arm-in-arm with Eclaire. "If it isn't our savior, Knack, himself… as a _human_ no less! And I see you have a soulmate already. How are you two tonight?"

"Fantastic, thank you." Knack replied politely. Eclaire's smile grew bigger as he said this. "We'd like a table for two, please."

"Of course. I know just the perfect one for you two. Follow me." The waiter grabbed two menus before he led the couple towards a table that was sitting perfectly under the moonlight without a candle in the middle. Knack didn't waste a moment pulling out a chair for Eclaire and she bowed to him as a thanks before she took her seat. Knack took his seat afterwards and the middle aged waiter humbly gave them their menus before he went on his way to tell the rest of the staff of the relic hero's presence.

"You don't mind all this attention you're getting, do you?" Eclaire asked as she was looking through her menu. Knack did the same with his as he replied:

"Don't mind it one bit. I have yet to perform any heroic deeds since this transformation, but it still feels good to be honored."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get your chance someday. I'll bet you still have the same exact abilities as your relic self, but I've been told from my friends that you're not entirely immune to pain. Is that true?"

"Yes. I'm impervious to it, but that doesn't mean that I'm invincible from it. Half the time I wonder if I can actually survive an explosion massive enough to destroy a city. Not that I want that to happen, but you get it."

"Yeah, I understand." After that was said, a young blonde waitress approached the table and she already tried to maintain her excitement of being in the presence of the Hero of Newhaven himself.

"Hi, Knack." She greeted as politely as possible as she was slightly shivering. "Welcome to Ocean Breeze Seafood. This is gonna be your first dinner out with that special someone, huh?"

"Yes." Knack replied. "But, you don't have to nervous about meeting me. At this point, I'm getting use to this new human form."

"I can tell. You look amazing! Anyway, are you two about ready to order?"

"Yeah, and whatever she orders, can you also make it free for our first time instead?" Eclaire jumped with surprise before she frantically looked all over her for her wallet, but… "Eclaire forgot her wallet and I have yet to receive one myself."

"Sure, no problem. The owner of this place had a feeling about it from the moment he saw your plane make landfall in the back there. You can order the most expensive entreé, if you want, and it won't cost ya."

"Thank you so much."

Several seconds of ordering later…

"…gotcha. So, that's the Grilled Seafood Medley with steamed broccoli and cauliflower for Eclaire and the Massive Teriyaki Tilapia Trio with fried rice and broccoli for Knack. Both of those combined together costs nearly 100 dollars, but since it's your first time here and you both don't have any source of money, they're both on the house tonight." The waitress concluded. "We'll make them to perfection and well done for ya. In the meantime, here are your glasses of water. Sit tight. Your food will be here soon." After that was said, the humble waitress left them alone once more, but they didn't strike a conversation this time. Knack and Eclaire just decided to silently 'watch' the moon to relieve the fiery passion that was slowly growing inside of them.

They both mentally vowed not to rush into things and they meant it. Even Knack's life orb turned a tranquil purple to signify that factor.

Meanwhile, at the bar inside the building…

One of the bartenders, a Latino man in his mid-30s, looked on towards the other servers and customers just talking all about Knack and how thrilled they are to know that he's at the place for a date tonight. He was the only one who wasn't as thrilled as the rest of the restaurant and decided to secretly do something about it as he just finished cleaning the last of the glasses as soon as a much happier Caucasian male bartender came from the kitchen. He made his way past him into the kitchen and made his way towards a corner as he pulled out his smartphone and made a phone call to someone unexpected:

"Hey, Daniel. You were right. Knack's here and he causin' all kinds of a buzz, amigo." He said softly on the phone. It became a split screen conversation as Daniel was just relaxing on the couch at his condo, wide awake and watching late night news. "He's got Eclaire with him and they looked so happy together."

"Damn, I knew it!" Daniel exclaimed as he muted the 75 inch television. "She leaves me all because I treated her dog like shit and hooks up with Knack just like that?! She ain't got no manners, yo."

"What do you want me to do, amigo? Seeing him as a human could mean that he's not as indestructible as he used to be in his relic form."

"Naw, man. Don't underestimate him, regardless of this plan I've got for you and your brother, Davy. Havi, after he's done eatin' with Eclaire, then you can let him have it. Understand? Don't even hesitate through the crowd and, if you have to shoot down Eclaire herself to get to him, then so be it."

"Roger that. Most of the customers should be gone by then, so it's a great plan. We've got this."

"Good. Don't fail me, man."

Meanwhile, back with Knack and Eclaire…

"Mmm. That was delicious." Knack commented happily as he wiped his mouth like a gentleman as well. Eclaire did the same as she kept her smile of admiration drawn upon her face. "For my first fancy meal, I'm totally satisfied and surprised at how good it was."

"Of course, we oughta do this more often now." Eclaire replied as she sipped the last of her water. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Knack. Next time, though, I've gotta bring my wallet. I guess it's not quite time for you to handle money yet, huh?"

"I've only just turned human. The doctor only did this for his retirement. Somebody's gotta run his laboratory."

"I understand." Seconds after that was said, the same blonde waitress approached the table and cleaned up the mess left by the couple. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"No problem!" The waitress replied with no worries. "It's all because of the boss' honor towards you, Knack. I guess he knows how much you've been through those past few years in your relic form."

"It was no walk in the park." Knack admitted. "Dealing with the high goblins, the regular goblins, Gundahar, and the Ancient Weapons were enough, but Xander was totally unexpected. Fortunately, I was still able to figure him out as soon as his true colors came out."

"Oh, wow. Well, I'm glad you made it through. Hopefully, we won't have anyone like Xander again." After that was said, the waitress left with the dirty dishes. Knack sighed after that and this worried his Asian American girlfriend.

"Are you okay?" She asked sweetly. Knack had his eyes closed and head bowed down as if he was meditating, but Eclaire saw that his life orb was pulsating red with a loud heart beating sound that was terrifying to hear.

Behind him, a pair of Latino brothers slowly started pulling out their own Caliber pistol right when the waitress made it to the back and aimed right at Knack's back, which made him look at Eclaire at his fastest, which made her jump with surprise, but before she could say anything…

_**BANG-BANG!**_

"MOVE!" Knack screamed as he used his usual speed to take Eclaire with a massive arm and duck down at just a millimeter away from a bullet touching him. "Damn! Daniel's on to me."

"What?" She asked breathlessly.

"No time to explain. We've gotta get out of here. Get on my back." She didn't even hesitate as she did so and hung on tight to Knack's strong neck without touching the permanent necklace while he held on to her slender legs for additional support. As soon as he took a careful two steps towards the gunmen, they cocked their guns and he froze in his tracks. "You two are desperate to follow your dog of a commander, aren't you?"

"Like you care, amigo!" Davy spat back as he kept his aim at Knack's face alongside his brother. "Besides, how did you even know Daniel was behind this?"

"My sixth sense. It's in this life orb and it hasn't failed me yet."

"It will soon if you don't give Eclaire back to Daniel."

"Over my dead body." After that was said, Knack made a graceful, but extremely high leap over the two men, who were completely flabbergasted, especially since Eclaire never lost her grip from it.

"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE THE HERO OF NEWHAVEN YOU ARE!" Havi threatened as he and his brother continued to fire shots as Knack and Eclaire were escaping towards the plane. As soon as they got there…

"Is that what he wants?" Knack asked himself as he safely placed his girlfriend in the back seat of the plane. This made her panic.

"Knack, no! Don't do this! Who knows what those bullets could do to you?" Eclaire exclaimed, holding his rugged red bearded face closer to hers. "I love you too much enough to let it happen."

"I'll be fine. You just stay here until I come out."

"You say that like you know you're gonna win."

"That's because I will. I know what those bullets will do to me and it's not what those guys in there think."

"Huh?"

"Just… trust me, Eclaire. I'll be right back." The two shared a small kiss on the lips that lasted for fifteen seconds. "I love you, too."

Seconds later, back inside the restaurant…

Knack slowly walks back into the glass double doors with a strong, brave glare in his black eyes and, after five steps, he stops and gets into his famous fighting stance, immediately intimidating the violent brothers before him.

"If a fight from the Hero of Newhaven is what you want, then that's what you'll get." Knack threatened as he used one massive hand to gesture the start of the fight. "Bring it. Both of you. See what my human self is capable of."

"I thought you'd never ask, amigo!" Davy spat back as he and Havi started shooting, but Knack was as blazing fast as his relic self and dodged every bullet with ease without a single one touching him before he finally approached the two after about a minute and gave them both a sweet kick upon their ankles and they both fell on their backs, dropping their guns at their rough landings. Then, still using his breakneck speed, Knack grabbed both of the weapons and, in each hand, crushed them to pieces without any struggle! This shocked the twins as they slowly sat up. "HEY! We paid good money for those!"

"Like I give a damn." Knack didn't waste any time right after that last word and dashed for the twins again for a full-on fist fight. Havi was able to block the first right hook that was aiming for his jaw, but Knack foresaw that block and used his left elbow to counter it upon his neck and it knocked him out instantly.

Davy saw this as a wide open opportunity, but again, Knack acted like he had eyes everywhere, and magically summoned his boomerang from that same left hand and threw it at him, temporarily disabling him from moving before Knack finished off Havi with his ultimate move. His fists flared all over him at the speed of light for only three seconds before he summoned a strong blue energy blast that made him explode into blood and guts, which rained all over the human relic hero for only about five more seconds before he turned towards the still-incapacitated Davy, slowly approached him, and right when the relics broke free from the prisoner, Knack gave him his strongest grip upon his neck, choking him to near-death as he spoke.

"That'll be you next if you don't confess the truth to this one question that I have for you." Knack started in his deepest voice since his creation. "Was this attack on me an idea from a man named Daniel Deakon?"

"Ugh…" Davy struggled to speak through the strong hero's formidable grip. He even had to get his own smaller hands upon that one choker to try to pry it off, but it was to no avail. "…that… is none of-ACK!"

"Wrong answer! Tell me now! Did Daniel plan this on me or not?! You'll suffer like your brother if you don't this time! Usually, I give mercy to my enemies, but you strike a chord in my life orb with so much negative force, you've given me no choice. Now… this is the last time, Davy…" Knack paused he pulled him closer to his pissed-off face, making him widen his brown eyes with extreme fear. "…is Daniel behind this? Yes or no?"

"…yes. Daniel knew you would be here with Eclaire and… he's doing whatever it takes… to win her back…"

"And he thinks that killing me will make it happen. Am I right?"

"Yes…"

"Hmmm… he's a coward for this kind of play, but I'll play along. I'm sure there's more of you all over Newhaven and Monte Verde who has an allegiance with Daniel and is desperate to take me down, just like the Ancient Weapons, the goblins, and the High Goblins. If that's the game he wants to play, then I'll be player two in it. See what he does next… without your presence."

_**CRACK!**_

Knack snapped Davy's neck and a part of his upper back without any remorse, which rendered him dead immediately before his corpse was violently dropped to the white tile floor and was left there as the human relic hero left him to rot until someone saw him the next morning.

Ten minutes of a flight later…

Knack and Eclaire was already out of the plane and in front of the farmland as they were both in a passionate embrace that seemed to have a heavenly aura from the moonlight. Even Knack's life orb pulsated that pink color of love during that time and it lasted for another minute before a flame was finally sparked between the two and Knack gently picked up Eclaire for his first passionate lip-lock of a kiss with their tongues practically dancing within their mouths and their moans explained how much they're enjoying it, especially with the Asian American's slender hands massaging the rugged beard and sideburns on her man's face. She even slowly combed through his long mullet behind him to add more to the moment.

This steamy kiss lasted for another three minutes before they finally parted, but kept their eyes very close to each other, as if they were trying to peer into their souls.

"…oh, my God, Knack." Eclaire breathlessly spoke as he legs were now around his waist. He held a handsome smile that made her wet down there once more, but she never paid any attention to it as she continued. "Where did this kiss come from? We haven't even been dating for two weeks yet."

"I know, but after that fight, I just felt like showing how much I thought about you throughout that moment."

"Really? You kept me in your mind the entire time? Even at that life or death situation to had to be in?"

"Yes. Especially since it turned out that this attack wasn't random. It was Daniel's idea as I predicted and that desperate feeling I felt from him wasn't an exaggeration. He's doing whatever it takes to win you back and, apparently, he's behaving like Xander."

"That figures. Well, I guess this fight was just the beginning. The worst has yet to come, but I believe in you and I love you, Knack." Eclaire was finally back on her feet after that long discussion. "I want you to explain everything about that fight tomorrow morning through that holobot, okay? Don't leave anything out."

"Will do. Goodnight, Eclaire." The two shared one more quick peck on the lips before she headed through the gates alone before she turned, closed those same gates, and replied back through the bars with a seductive smile and a sexy drawl in her voice:

"Goodnight, Knack."

To be continued…


	7. The Dark Truth

Chapter 7: The Dark Truth

Knack's very first date ever started out peaceful and ended up with a fight that would've likely killed him, but fortunately, everything single part of his formidable powers came into light, including the relic boomerang he was taught from Ava. Since it was an intense moment, the human relic hero didn't have time at that moment to wonder how in the world he was able to do it without a single relic on his body.

The next morning, at 8AM to be precise, Knack didn't waste any time as he just left out of the bathroom of the laboratory after relieving himself and headed for the kitchen where he expected Dr. Benson Vargas to be and he smiled even more when he saw that Charlotte was with him as well. They were peacefully enjoying a warm and hearty bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal together.

"Good morning, Knack!" Vargas greeted happily as he allowed his human relic creation to take a seat next to him on his left, having both men facing Charlotte from across the table. "I heard from Lucas that your very first date last night was pretty exciting."

"It was." Knack admitted. "Of course, it started out with a romantic setting that would've made Charlotte smile in awe. We had a moonlit feast fit for a hero like me."

"Awww, that _is _romantic indeed." Charlotte agreed. "So, how come it got exciting, like Lucas said?"

"Turns out my suspicions of Daniel's desperation for Eclaire's heart wasn't an exaggeration. Two employees at the restaurant were given commands from Daniel to kill me on sight. They were a pair of Latino brothers. I don't need to speak of their names because I killed them. Their bodies have probably been discovered by now."

"Atta boy, Knack!" Benson cheered. "Your new human self has provided even more power than ever before. Speaking of which, were you able to use any of your old skills that you would normally use in your relic form during the fight?"

"That's the next thing I was going to ask you about. During that time, I was able to use my boomerang to hold one of the brothers in place while I easily killed the other. And I did it without hesitation or any kind of effort. How is that possible, Doc?"

"Huh! That is baffling. You're clearly a permanent human at this rate, but how you can still use your relic powers is even beyond me." At that last word, Ava and Lucas walked into the kitchen with smiles of their own. "Ava, Knack used the boomerang skill that you've taught him against a pair of brothers during an attack on him last night. Do you know how he was able to use it, despite his newly permanent human look?"

"You used it without struggling, right?" Ava asked the hero first, who nodded in response. "Did you use any other skills I taught you?"

"That ultimate move to kill the other brother." Knack replied.

"Ah! He used both of those instinctively. That can only mean one thing, Knack: You may be 100 percent human, but in actuality, you're a being at 150 percent. You know what harnesses the additional 50 percent."

"…the relics."

"Ava! Are you sure?!" Vargas asked with astonishment.

"Positive." Ava replied with no regrets as she and Lucas took their seats next to Charlotte, having the new leader of the Monks on her left and Lucas sitting next to her away from the Doctor's wife. "I guess the fight was too intense for you to be shocked, Knack."

"That's totally badass in my opinion." Lucas added with confidence. "Is Eclaire okay?"

"I got her to safety within the plane before the fight." Knack replied after taking everything in for a full minute. "After all that went down, it ended as peacefully as it started. When I dropped her off at her farm for the night, we shared a passionate kiss that tasted amazing to the both of us."

"Whoah…"

"You're doing fantastic, Knack." Doctor Vargas commented. "With a kiss like that, you must've had her on your mind during the entire fight."

"Of course." Knack agreed without thinking. "We're both pretty much the intended targets in Daniel's little game of Cat and Mouse. If he keeps this up, he will eventually have to fight me face-to-face. I'm well prepared for it."

"As usual." Lucas commented. "Taking out those first two guys crippled him a little bit and he knows it by now."

"Since that's the case, I'm gonna spend this whole day with her this time. I… want to." The human relic hero's life orb turned to that tickle-me-pink color as he said that last statement, making the others smile in awe. "Doc, I'm feeling some jitters right now. Is this what being truly compassionate about someone feels like?"

"100 percent, Knack." Vargas replied as Ryder and Katrina now entered the kitchen just in time to still see the pink in the life orb. "Welcome to the pleasures of being in love. Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Spectacular. Today will definitely be an excellent one for sure, despite the possibly upcoming danger from another one of Daniel's lackeys. I'll practice all of my powers while I'm with her as well."

"There ya go. Take all the time you need, Knack. We'll all be right here, if you still need us."

"Thanks, guys."

Meanwhile, at Daniel's top floor of the apartment…

"Goddamn it all!" Daniel screamed when just watched a news report about the deaths of Davy and Havi at Ocean Breeze Seafood that happened last night. They showed the disturbing images of their bodies and he was just completely pissed at it all. He underestimated Knack and didn't think he'd still have his incredible powers from his relic form. Now that he does know, Daniel's going to have to think up a different strategy this time. "Humph! So, Knack is technically still a relic monster underneath that human suit, eh? Well, looks like I better up my game a little bit more if I want Eclaire back. I already know that from now on, he's gonna be by her side every day, but that can turn into wide open opportunities for me." He turned off the TV after that was said and leaned back with crossed arms and a menacing smirk. "And I've got just the plan for it. This time, those two will have nowhere to run. Heh, heh, heh, heh."

Later, at approximately 9 AM at the Xiaochan Farm…

"Are you ever late, Knack?" Eclaire asked with humor as she just opened her front double doors to see Knack, casually dressed in a simple brown tank top, baggy jade green jeans, and matching sneakers of those two colors, standing before her with his signature charming smile. As for the farm owner herself, she practically wore the same thing, except colored in blue and yellow respectively with a little midriff and white socks on her feet. She showed an adorable smile of her own.

"I've had some near-misses, yes." Knack admitted with just as much humor before he was allowed inside and the two headed straight for the kitchen to enjoy another peaceful breakfast together. "But, I can assure you that I am never actually late."

"Seems suffice to me." They both sat down with a delicious platter of three pancakes, three slices of turkey bacon, and shredded hash browns with southern seasonings. "So, about last night: You did explain to me everything that happened with that holobot I saw after my shower this morning. You used your ultimate move and your binding boomerang against those dangerous twins without any effort at all?! Really?!"

"It all happened so fast, yeah. I thought I wouldn't have those specific powers anymore for the obvious reason you already see, but it turns out that, according to Ava, not the Doctor, I'm actually a being at 150 percent capacity instead of just the 100."

"The 50 percent are the relics you're made of."

"Exactly. Did you know about it, too?"

"No, but I had a gut feeling for some reason. You're still the Hero of Newhaven and not even your human self is stopping what makes you that hero." Knack's charming smile never ceased upon hearing that as the two continued their breakfasts. "In addition to that, Daniel is probably already planning something much more dangerous for us now. Getting to the root of the break-up is gonna be tougher for you."

"I know, but I'm not afraid. I never was really scared of anything until after Xander attacked me with that artifact."

"That's why you destroyed it. Those dark relics were ready to take over you like a ghost possessing your soul."

"It surely won't be the last time I'll actually be scared, either."

"And you said that without your life orb turning yellow." The two held a single hand together across the table after that was said from Eclaire with every last ounce of scrupulousness.

Meanwhile, back at the Doctor's Mansion…

Lucas and Ava didn't waste any time trying to find out more about Eclaire's ex on the lab's massive computer while Vargas and Charlotte were currently out on a much needed date out on the town. It took them about fifteen minutes before they finally found the usual info: age, height, weight, and blood type. Ava volunteered to read those out loud for a moment:

"Let's see; Daniel Gregory Deakon – Age: 32; Height: 6 feet and 8 inches; Weight; 130 pounds; Blood type: B Positive… so far, so good with this information here."

"Yeah." Lucas agreed as he scanned for more within the DNA findings. "Looks like the Deakons are supposed to be peacekeepers around here. His earliest ancestor was Dr. Vermillion Deakon back in the early 1920s. He was a dentist with an excellent reputation."

"Interesting." They both read through even more family history silently for another five minutes before Ava went wide eyed and shocked when she spotted one part she didn't expect: "Oh, no… Lucas, do you see this?!" Her lover looked closer with her after that question and was also showing the widest brown eyes he's ever done. "I didn't want it to be true, but-"

"-it is. Maybe Knack already sensed it from the get-go, but isn't saying anything until the juicy shit comes out of Daniel himself somehow."

"Who knows how long that will be? Should we tell them?"

"Nah, their relationship is going so well. Let's let them figure it out for themselves."

"Should we tell the doctor about this in the meantime?"

"Yeah. We'll tell all of 'em: The Doctor, Charlotte, Katrina, and Uncle Ryder. They all better keep it a secret, too."

"I'll make sure the Monks do the same when I tell them about this as well. In fact, you tell your friends and uncle while I alert my monks of this. That way, we'll _all _be prepared for anything." The two stood up with held hands as they looked into each other eyes at that second statement from Ava. "They'll understand immediately."

"Thanks, Ava-babe." They shared a small kiss on the lips after that. "You always know the right things to do…"

"…and you're always right behind me." After that was said, Lucas and Ava went their separate ways to tell the amazing discovery to everyone they promised, hoping that they will indeed keep it a secret from the public for as long as they possibly can.

Hours later, at 11:45 AM back at the Xiaochan Farm…

"So glad you don't mind doing this, Knack." Eclaire started as she was riding an old broken tractor with an automatic wheat cutter on the back while Knack was actually pulling it by a pair of ropes within his massive smooth hands with ease. "You're making it _not _look like pure manual labor at all. I haven't used this tractor since this farm was passed down to me on my thirteenth birthday."

"I can clearly see why." Knack replied with humor as he kept his focus on the task ahead while he continued to pull. "This engine was pretty difficult to fix beforehand. So, I figured I put my strength to excellent use here."

"And those muscles aren't lying, baby." Eclaire muttered under her breath seductively. Hearing that low mumble made him turn towards her for the first time since the work started ten minutes ago with a flabbergasted look on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing." Eclaire shook out of reverie before she continued. "Anyway, how come you won't tell me what the deeper meaning behind the break-up is?"

"It's only for your own safety and… for your sanity." Knack struggled to get those last three words out and even his life orb glowed that nervous yellow without her knowing for a quick second. Eclaire was completely flummoxed. "Don't ask me why. Just… trust me on this. Everything I'm telling you is no lie."

"And I believe you to the fullest, Knack. Can I still ask you another question, though?" The life orb turned back to its normal blue after that last word and Knack just finished the job as he approached her still sitting in the tractor. He crossed his arms casually afterwards. "Does it involve something about my entire family?"

"That depends."

"Well, my entire Xiaochan family tree have always been the sweetest group of people you'll ever want to meet. It starts all the way back in the early 1910s and, with me being the newest generation along with my two older twin brothers, we still keep it going strong. The only problem is that… well… by the start of the 1920s, another family was jealous of our everlasting kindness. But, all three of us can't remember who exactly. Not even our parents can figure it out and I've asked them a million times since I was 4 and my brothers were 6. All I remember hearing from my great-grandfather before he passed away – may he rest in peace, Lord – was that the only way this other family showed their jealousy was by playing dirty whenever they saw us doing something positive for the community. They would try to outdo us in the most unfair way possible, but it always backfired on them at the very last minute. Sometimes they've had near-successes that made it seemed like it worked until a millisecond too late. Overall, this family were nothing but jerks, despite the fact that they also had good hearts as well."

"…hmmm." Knack had to take a few minutes to let it all sink in. His life orb even pulsated a puzzling orange as a way to saying he was 'buffering' his thoughts. Eclaire never showed any concern in her face as this scene went on for a very silent seven minutes until the human relic hero summed it all up: "I'll give it a 100 percent positive maybe for now, since you don't remember who this other family was."

"Damn. Almost. It's better than nothing, I guess. Being a psychic isn't on your power list, eh?"

"Unfortunately, no. Although, I do make some pretty instinct guesses that are 95 percent accurate. Does that count?" Eclaire hopped off the tractor and lovingly stroked his tattooed abs upwards until her slender hands stopped at the very nape of his neck with a compassionate smile on her face.

"It does in my eyes, Knack."

"Aww, why thank you, Eclaire. I love you." He gently wrapped his massive hands around her love handles and lifted her up for a passionate kiss that had their tongues practically tangled up within their mouths for a full sixty seconds. Afterwards, Knack's life orb pulsated red once more as his said instincts kicked in and turned towards the now wheat-free field with a regal look of anger on his rugged face. This puzzled Eclaire as she looked on around him.

"What's wrong, Knack?"

"I sense a presence I haven't felt in a long time. Eclaire, I need you to get inside your house."

"Why?"

"Just do it, okay?" His lover didn't hesitate as she calmly walked back to her massive mansion, but not without looking back along the way and seeing that Knack had gotten into his famous fighting stance. She widened her eyes with shock before she eventually got in and watched out the front window with observance.

As for Knack…

"Whoever you are, show yourself and let's dance." He threatened in an even deeper tone of his signature voice. Two minutes later, six familiar robots slowly started walking towards him with a woman that vaguely shared a resemblance to Daniel between each set of three of the robots and Knack's black eyes widened with absolute shock. "No… I can't be. It couldn't be."

"Well, well, well, sugar." She started in the thickest southern accent from a woman he's ever heard since his birth. "Looks like da Hero of Newhaven really only a box of relics in a human suit, just like my brotha said."

"Whhhat? Your brother?"

"Yeah, Daniel Deakon. I'm his baby sista, Trinity. And until he can get Eclaire back, you ain't gonna spend a single day witout a chance in hell of dodgin' his bullets."

"Is he that desperate?"

"Hell yeah. Ya gots a problem wit dat, _hero_?" At that last word, the six blue robots released their swords and were ready for the command. Knack never released himself from his fighting stance and kept his focus.

"It would be my first lie if I said no. What I wanna know is what are these Ancient Weapons doing here? I thought they were all repurposed after I defeated Xander."

"I'll answer dat _if _you defeat 'em." After that was said, Trinity Deakon snapped her fingers and not a millisecond too soon, all six of the blue Ancient Weapons sprinted for the human relic hero simultaneously and Knack didn't even hesitate once more as he summoned out his Crystal Relic Blades that he usually uses with supercharged sunstones. Even without those said stones, he was still able to use them to slice down three robots that weren't smart enough to evade him. Two out of the three that did pointed their blades at the life orb specifically, but Knack saw those two coming and successfully blocked them with his relic shield before delivering massively powerful punches at them both. The final robot took this as a wide open opportunity to try to cut down the hero, but again, it was like he had eyes on the back of his head and summoned his famous binding boomerang in a free hand after five punches towards now another destroyed robot, but it managed to make a leap of faith over it and prepared a flipping slash downwards. Knack saw that coming as well and used his Crystal Blast attack with a single hand and it blew the robot to bits instantly. It was now down to one more Ancient Weapon and they were staring each other down for a few seconds. Trinity had to sarcastically applaud for that performance as her walk towards the two automatically commanded that last robot to temporarily stand down for a moment.

"Bravo, Knack! Bravo!" She commented with the same cynicism. "I ain't gon' lie: Those powers do look uber cool, honey. I love, love, LOOOOOVE dat in ya. Danny and I is gonna have loads of fun tryin' ta take you down."

"What else do you have against Eclaire that makes you both come after us with such extreme measures?" Knack had to ask, completely ignoring that whole statement after the applause. "I can already tell that these attacks are going to put these innocent people within Newhaven and Monte Verde in critical danger!"

"Heh, heh! Aww, how adorable. Yo' concerned 'bout yo' people. Dat's too cute. If you oughta know so badly, though, kill dat last robot." Another snap of her fingers and her final Ancient Weapon released both blades, performed its spinning attack, and Knack was able to block it with his relic shield once more before immediately counterattacking with the single Mighty Punch, destroying it completely. Again, Trinity wasn't too impressed as she saw the human relic hero had defeated her small army.

"Now, tell me, Trinity: What's the grudge against Eclaire?" Knack demanded with his deep voice sounding regal as he eased off of his fighting stance and just stood straight with crossed intimidating arms.

"Humph! Desperate as a sugar-induced child wantin' a truckload of candy." She said with a bored tone. "She here, ain't she? Can't ya ask her?"

"I did. She and her family have no idea."

"Damn! Well, da only way you'll get it out of me and Daniel is ova our dead bodies, hero!" Right after that last word, Trinity ran off towards where she came and Knack didn't even bother to go after her. He decided to let her go for now since he also felt proud of what he's done just by looking all over his surroundings at the robot rubble at his feet. That was also Eclaire's cue to finally step back out of her mansion and carefully approach her lover with a concerned gleam in her brown eyes.

"That was incredible, Knack." Eclaire commented as she too inspected the aftermath. "Every single power you had in your relic form just came out of you without any issues. You were right!"

"Thank you, Eclaire." Knack replied as he picked up a head of a robot with utmost apprehension within his black eyes. "But, now we have Daniel's sister to deal with and they've got the Ancient Weapons." Then, his life orb turned to that nervous yellow as he finished by saying: "Their grudge towards you is even worse than I previously thought."

"I wouldn't be surprised if their family and my family are the ones in constant community war. Still, I think that's highly unlikely. I barely got to know Daniel's family and I'm just meeting his younger sister for the first time. I didn't even know he had any siblings at all!"

"Hmmm…" It became silent between the two as they took about three minutes to process it all within their heads, even as Knack's life orb just turned back to its normal blue. After that last minute, a holobot was heard buzzing from above them and it stopped at just before their eyes as Lucas appeared in the holographic message:

"Knack, Ava and I did some crucial research on Daniel Deakon's family tree and we found something you wouldn't believe! I already told the Doctor, Charlotte, Uncle Ryder, and Katrina about this and they were completely flabbergasted! Ava is probably still at the Monastery explaining it to her fellow Monks as well as I speak. I need you to come back here to the mansion really quick right now! You can take Eclaire with ya, but only if she wants to. Hope to see ya in a few. Lucas out." The holobot then landed in Knack's open hand and the couple stared at it with determination for one more set of 60 seconds before they looked at each other, nodded once in unison, and hightailed it to Knack's plane without any hesitation.

Several minutes later, back at the Doctor's Mansion…

"…I didn't want to believe it, but it's true." Eclaire breathlessly whispered as she read the same information that Lucas and Ava found about her dangerous ex's family tree from Dr. Vargas' laptop. Knack read it silently from behind her as he was down on one knee for a better view while the others were behind them with anxiety within their hearts as they waited patiently for a reaction unlike any other from the human relic hero. "According to these DNA results for Daniel, he does have only one sister, which was-"

"Trinity Deakon." Knack replied immediately before his girlfriend continued.

"Yes, and then further down, I see that this family in particular has been the one that my family's always outdone at every good deed towards our town's communities. I never thought this would be it, but…(sighs)…I guess it makes sense."

"Wait! Look here!" Knack pointed out verbally and literally with his right pointer finger towards the screen that had a perfectly sane picture of Xander of the Monks back in his younger years. "It says that 'During the early 1980s, Xander Kenneth Deakon became the newest founder of the Monks after the passing of Marius. Due to the lowest amount of influence from this group after his takeover, he was forced to let The Order of the Monks become solitary folks that seemed to be long forgotten by the rest of society.' Damn it all! Lucas, you were right!"

"What did I tell ya?!" His best friend agreed rhetorically. "Something about Daniel's actions towards ya felt all too familiar, now that you've officially hooked up with Eclaire. Just like Xander, his primary goal is to destroy you. I guess violence runs in his family."

"And he never said shit about it to me." Eclaire kept her voice at a whisper. "He's been bottling up this boiling hate all that time. No wonder he didn't care about poor little Timber."

"It truly is a devastating discovery." Vargas declared.

"What's even more devastating is Trinity." Knack added with that handsome tone of bravery in his famous deep voice. "Something tells me that those two siblings are the very last living generation of the violent Deakons since I've killed Xander. She had six of those Ancient Weapons beside her at the farm earlier today."

"WHAT?!" Ryder, Lucas, and Benson Vargas exclaimed in unison while Katrina and Charlotte remained speechless.

"Yeah, and she really meant business. It was a fierce fight, but I came up victorious as usual. I tried asking her why the grudge with her eldest brother, but she refused to answer. Now, this entire Deakon family tree explains everything. Guys?" Knack stood up and turned towards his friends and creator with a glare of fortitude. "I hate to tell you this because this is the absolute truth and you know I never lie, but if this is how they're gonna play this game, then that's how I'll play. As much as I want to just go straight for the two siblings head on and kill them right where they stand, it just wouldn't feel like a true victory to me. I know at this rate, they'll possibly throw everything they have at me. Even somehow acquire some assistance from the High Goblins. I won't let them win, regardless of this fight. Doctor, I know you made me look human for the sake of your retirement, but there's just one other purpose you need to add to it."

"And it's an obvious one." Vargas agreed with his head bowed down with hope for just two seconds before he approached his tall human creation and gently planted an old calloused palm upon a tattooed pectoral. "I won't even say it aloud, but I know you can do it long before my retirement officially begins. We all have total faith in you, Knack. We sure did twice before. I'm pretty sure this third time will definitely be the charm. Good luck, Knack."

"Thanks, Doctor." The two then engaged in the most heartwarming embrace since the human relic hero's creation, making the others watch them in awe, including Eclaire, who had a hopeful smile upon her face.

To be continued…


End file.
